Amplifying effects of multiyear La Niña on phytoplankton biomass in the tropical Pacific

IF 7.3 2区地球科学 Q1 LIMNOLOGY

Limnology and Oceanography Letters Pub Date : 2026-05-21 DOI:10.1002/lol2.70143

Lei Lin, Kun Xu, Wei Tan, Jinliang Liu, Bingzhang Chen, Dongyan Liu

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Abstract

Traditional views suggest that overall phytoplankton biomass in the tropical Pacific should be proportional to La Niña intensity because of enhanced nutrient supplies from equatorial upwelling associated with La Niña intensity. Here, composite analysis of satellite-derived chlorophyll a (Chl a, a proxy for biomass) data across five multiyear La Niña (M-LN) events (1997–2023) showed a double increase in the tropical Pacific average Chl a in the 2^nd/3^rd years [La Niña(2)] of M-LN compared to the 1^st year [La Niña(1)], despite declining La Niña intensities. This unexpected rise is attributed to a ∼ 1-yr lagged response of the off-equatorial phytoplankton to La Niña/El Niño. The lagged response of off-equatorial Chl a to La Niña(1) superimposed with the immediate response of equatorial Chl a to La Niña(2) amplifies overall Chl a levels during La Niña(2). Simulations from Earth System Models support this mechanism. Our findings imply that increased M-LN events may mitigate warming-induced biomass decline in the tropical Pacific.

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多年La Niña对热带太平洋浮游植物生物量的放大效应

传统观点认为，热带太平洋的总体浮游植物生物量应与La Niña强度成正比，因为与La Niña强度相关的赤道上升流增加了营养供应。这里，对5个多年La Niña（M-LN）事件（1997-2023）的卫星衍生叶绿素a（Chl a，生物量的代表）数据进行的综合分析显示，尽管La Niña强度下降，但M-LN的第2 /3年热带太平洋平均Chl a [La Niña(2)]与第1年[La Niña(1)]相比增加了一倍。这一意想不到的上升归因于赤道外浮游植物对La Niña/El Niño的滞后反应约1年。离赤道Chl a对La Niña(1)的滞后响应与赤道Chl a对La Niña(2)的即时响应叠加，放大了La Niña(2)期间Chl a的总体水平。地球系统模型的模拟支持这一机制。我们的研究结果表明，增加的M-LN事件可能减轻热带太平洋变暖引起的生物量下降。

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来源期刊

Limnology and Oceanography Letters Multiple-

CiteScore

10.00

自引率

3.80%

发文量

审稿时长

25 weeks

期刊介绍： Limnology and Oceanography Letters (LO-Letters) serves as a platform for communicating the latest innovative and trend-setting research in the aquatic sciences. Manuscripts submitted to LO-Letters are expected to present high-impact, cutting-edge results, discoveries, or conceptual developments across all areas of limnology and oceanography, including their integration. Selection criteria for manuscripts include their broad relevance to the field, strong empirical and conceptual foundations, succinct and elegant conclusions, and potential to advance knowledge in aquatic sciences.