In an article published this month in Frontiers of Marine Science, we find evidence of long-term presence of the island-mass effect via observations of chlorophyll enhancement around Rangiroa Atoll. The study, led by the McManus lab at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa finds phytoplankton enhancement as high as 130% in nearshore waters over ~ 76% of the study period. We suggest the enhancement is linked to tides and waves transporting the nutrient-rich water from inside Rangiroa’s lagoon to coastal ocean waters. The study is a collaboration with colleagues at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, NOAA’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, and Aarhus University. Read more about the study here.
