Spatial mesoscale patterns of West Pacific picophytoplankton as analyzed by flow cytometry: their contribution to subsurface chlorophyll maxima

The vertical and mesoscale distribution of prochlorophytes in the West Pacific Ocean is obtained by flow cytometry. Results show that picophytoplankton are omnipresent in the West Pacific Ocean, with a maximum concentration greater than 10(5) cells per ml. Moreover, their distribution is greatly affected by nitracline and light intensity. Lastly, their chlorophyll is a major contributor to the subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the West Pacific Ocean.