Numerical analysis of primary production and associated data from waters off the east coast of Australia

Abstract

Primary production by phytoplankton and 10 associated parameters were measured at a sampling station off Sydney on the east coast of Australia during September and October 1971. Numerical analysis of the data gave results consistent with local enrichment of the surface waters by vertical mixing of intruded continental slope water with the overlying coastal water, leading to periodic phytoplankton blooms. Simple linear combinations of the parameters were found adequate to describe the variations in the primary production data, and the bloom conditions could be characterized by three separable properties of the sample station.