Northward Progression of Spring Blooms
At greater latitudes, spring blooms take place later in the year. This northward progression is because spring occurs later, delaying thermal stratification and increases in illumination that promotes blooms. A study by Wolf and Woods (1988) showed evidence that spring blooms follow the northward migration of the 12°C isotherm, suggesting that blooms may be controlled by temperature limitations, in addition to stratification.
At high latitudes, the shorter warm season commonly results in one mid-summer bloom. These blooms tend to be more intense than spring blooms of temperate areas because there is a longer duration of daylight for photosynthesis to take place. Also, grazing pressure tends to be lower because the generally cooler temperatures at higher latitudes slow zooplankton metabolism.
Read more about this topic: Spring Bloom
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