Physical and biological processes in the North Atlantic during the First GARP Global Experiment

The seasonal cycle of the phytoplankton productivity in the North Atlantic is investigated using monthly mean pigment composites generated by the Nimbus 7 CZCS for the period of December 1978 through December 1979. Data on the temporal and spatial distributions of surface pigments are compared with quantities derived from the First GARP Global Experiment wind data set, Climate Analysis Center SST fields, concurrent hydrogarphic station data, and climatological mixed-layer depths and heat fluxes. Time series at 11 selected sites throughout the North Atlantic basin are used to illustrate the relation of phytoplankton biomass to local physical forcing.