| The relationship between the vertical distribution of phytoplankton chlorophyll a and the physical structure of the upper central Atlantic Ocean was investigated based on results from a cruise across the tropical Atlantic (27 degrees N to 36 degrees S). The thermocline was very sharp and shallow in the northern part of the transect, off the coast of Mauritania and Senegal, and deepened progressively to reach > 150 m deep between 20 degrees S and 30 degrees S. There was a deep chl a maximum associated with the thermocline throughout the transect, reaching chl a concentrations up to 50 fold greater than those in surface waters. The chl a concentration was greatest off the NW African coast and declined towards the south, parallel to a progressive deepening... |
