Phytoplankton
The average chlorophyll a concentration was lower in winter
(minimum: 1.93 0.65 mg l1, December) and higher in summer
(maximum: 8.9915.04 mg l1, June), reaching a peak of
56.32 mg l1 at station 1. The average concentration of phaeopigments
was also lower in winter–spring, with the minimum in
March (0.03 0.01 mg l1), and higher in summer, with the
maximum in June (2.56 2.59 mg l1) (Fig. 4a). Phytoplankton
abundance varied from 0.017 106 cell l1 in September (station
10) to 11.21106 cell l1 in May (station 3) (Fig. 4b). Cryptophyceae,
Cyanophyceae and Euglenophyceae were dominant at stations 1, 3
and 6 in winter and spring, whereas in summer the Dinophyceae
prevailed. The phytoplankton community at station 10 was dominated
by Cryptophyceae, Cyanophyceae and Euglenophyceae in
September and October; by Dinophyceae in November and
December; by Bacillariophyceae from January to May and by
Dinophyceae in summer (Fig. 4c)