Chlorophyll a concentration is the most common indicator of phytoplankton biomass, basically regulated by physicochemical properties such as temperature, salinity, macronutrients and light intensity. As part of the monitoring programs of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE), water temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a concentration, and macronutrients (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicic acid) have been measured since 1965. This report presents the latest data collected during the Shirase cruise in the 2020/21 and the 2021/22 seasons, and is the fifth report for the monitoring on board Shirase from the first report of the 2016/17 season in this journal.
A Sat, study studied this question.