Biogeosciences www.biogeosciences.net 1726-4170 1726-4189 5 2 2008 10.5194/bg-5-353-2008 http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/353/2008/ http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/353/2008/bg-5-353-2008.html http://www.biogeosciences.net/5/353/2008/bg-5-353-2008.pdf 353 369 2008-03-12 Spatial variability of phytoplankton pigment distributions in the Subtropical South Pacific Ocean: comparison between in situ and predicted data J. Ras josephine.ras@obs-vlfr.fr H. Claustre J. Uitz UPMC Univ Paris 06, UMR 7093, Lab. d'Océanographie de Villefranche sur mer, 06238 Villefranche sur mer, France CNRS, UMR 7093, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France now at: Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California at San Diego, 95000 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0238, USA In the frame of the BIOSOPE cruise in 2004, the spatial distribution and structure of phytoplankton pigments was investigated along a transect crossing the ultra-oligotrophic South Pacific Subtropical Gyre (SPSG) between the Marquesas Archipelago (141° W–8° S) and the Chilean upwelling (73° W–34° S). A High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) method was improved in order to be able to accurately quantify pigments over such a large range of trophic levels, and especially from strongly oligotrophic conditions. Seven diagnostic pigments were associated to three phytoplankton size classes (pico-, nano and microphytoplankton). The total chlorophyll-α concentrations [TChlα] in surface waters were the lowest measured in the centre of the gyre, reaching 0.017 mg m^−3. Pigment concentrations at the Deep Chlorophyll Maximum (DCM) were generally 10 fold the surface values. Results were compared to predictions from a global parameterisation based on remotely sensed surface [TChlα]. The agreement between the in situ and predicted data for such contrasting phytoplankton assemblages was generally good: throughout the oligotrophic gyre system, picophytoplankton (prochlorophytes and cyanophytes) and nanophytoplankton were the dominant classes. Relative bacteriochlorophyll-α concentrations varied around 2%. The transition zone between the Marquesas and the SPSG was also well predicted by the model. However, some regional characteristics have been observed where measured and modelled data differ. 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