Long-term coastal monitoring data show nutrient-driven reduction in chlorophyll

Abstract

In this study we have compiled a long-term monitoring dataset from the inner Oslofjorden and supplemented it with short-term research data from the same station. Using generalized additive models analysing the data from this time series, we have examined how chlorophyll-a, hydrography, and various nutrient concentrations have changed during 1973–2017 and how they correlate. We describe the seasonality in chlorophyll-a, nitrogen, phosphorus, Secchi-depth, temperature and salinity and how the levels of each variable have changed the last forty years. The results show specifically how levels of chlorophyll-a have decreased significantly and how this correlates with decrease in nitrogen and phosphorus levels. Our results show a significantly positive correlation between chlorophyll-a and phosphorus during spring bloom and between chlorophyll-a and nitrogen during autumn bloom. However, phosphorus levels have increased again during the last 20 years, but chlorophyll-a levels are still low, indicating that the chlorophyll-a level currently may be controlled by the continuous decreasing trend in nitrogen. If nitrogen increase again, the chlorophyll-a level may also begin to increase. The impact of increasing temperature and possible change in starting point for the growing season should be studied further.