Diatom accumulations on a tropical meso-tidal beach: Environmental drivers on phytoplankton biomass

Diatom accumulations are important phenomena that occur on many sandy beaches worldwide, but little is known about their seasonal occurrence and environmental drivers at lower latitudes. The results revealed that the diatom Anaulus cf. australis and Asterionellopsis tropicalis were accumulated on a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Estuarine, coastal and shelf science coastal and shelf science, 2018-07, Vol.207, p.414-421
Main Authors: de Oliveira da Rocha Franco, Andréa, de Oliveira Soares, Marcelo, Parente Moreira, Maria Odete
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anaulus
Asterionellopsis
Brazil
Chlorophyll a
Futuro Beach
Low-latitude
Northeast
Surf-zone
Tides
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Summary:Diatom accumulations are important phenomena that occur on many sandy beaches worldwide, but little is known about their seasonal occurrence and environmental drivers at lower latitudes. The results revealed that the diatom Anaulus cf. australis and Asterionellopsis tropicalis were accumulated on a tropical beach near the Equator (3°41′S; northeastern Brazil). The highest frequency of diatom accumulation (81%) occurred during the rainy season, when wind intensity was weak and waves had lower heights. The main environmental driver that control occurrence of the patches on this oligotrophic sandy beach is a rainfall that is associated with the availability of nutrients. Tides are a physical driver that affect the phytoplankton biomass at the surf zone, large tidal ranges were related to dispersal and biomass reduction of the diatom accumulations. In addition, there was an association between swell and patches, this kind of wave appear be an important physical driver, however this mechanism is not fully understood. These findings provide novel insights into the environmental drivers and general knowledge of diatom accumulations worldwide. [Display omitted] •Diatom accumulation is an important phenomenon in beaches worldwide.•This study focused on diatom accumulations on a tropical meso-tidal beach.•Diatom patches were more frequent in the rainy season, weaker winds and lower waves.•Swell is one important physical driver influencing diatom accumulations.•The tidal range affects the biomass of diatom patches.
ISSN:0272-7714
1096-0015
DOI:10.1016/j.ecss.2017.07.020