The reason why we do this study

Global climate change, ocean acidification, increasing oxygen minimum zones and overexploitation of marine resources lead to changes in coastal ecosystems around the world. In this study we focus on the phytoplankton community which is the basis of the marine food web. These changes have potential implications for higher trophic levels and for biogeochemical cycles.

Increases in oxygen minimum zones lead to increasing denitrification removing nitrogen (N) and increased phosphorus (P) release from the sediment. In places where deep water rises up to the surface (in upwelling regions like in the Humbolt current) this will lead to lower N:P ratio of the upwelling water. In the present study, we will use two different N:P ratios (16 and 3) to investigate the affect this will have on different phytoplankton communities.