Primary production outside dense C. polykrikoides bloom
patches was fairly consistent during 2009 and 2010 at
215 33.5 mgC m3 d1 while rates were, on average, an order of
magnitude higher and more variable inside the bloom patches
(2070 598 mgC m3 d1; Fig. 6A). There was a significant correlation
between primary production in the microplankton (>20 mm)
fraction and the abundance of C. polykrikoides (R = 0.76, p < 0.01, data
not shown). Carbon-normalized production rates in the 2–20 mm size
fractions were significantly lower in the bloom compared to the nonbloom
water (p < 0.01; Fig. 7A) and were many fold lower than the
>20 mm size fraction in the bloom water.