Variability of suspended particulate matter concentrations and organic compounds in frontal zones of the Atlantic and Southern oceans

Abstract

The concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and particulate forms of the organic compounds (hydrocarbons, lipids, and chlorophyll a) were determined in the surface water layers of the Atlantic and Southern oceans during February to May of 2012 and 2014. It was found that the distribution of concentrations of the studied components is mainly affected by the location of frontal zones. When ice cover forms in the Southern Ocean, the changes in water temperature and phytoplankton development at the ice–water interface result in an increase of the concentrations of SPM, chlorophyll a, and, to a lesser extent, of lipids and hydrocarbons in the surface water layer. The occasional sharp increase of hydrocarbon concentrations caused by anthropogenic pollution was registered at local parts of water areas in the east of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the North and Baltic seas.