Spatial variability of living coccolithophore distribution in the western subarctic Pacific and western Bering Sea

Vertical distributions of coccolithophores were observed in the depth range 0-50 m in the western subarctic Pacific and western Bering Sea in summer, 1997. Thirty-five species of coccolithophores were collected. Overall, Emiliania huxleyi var. huxleyi was the most abundant taxon, accounting for 82.8% of all coccolithophores, although it was less abundant in the western Bering Sea. Maximum abundance of this species was found in an area south of 41degreesN and east of 175% (Transition Zone) reaching >10,000 cells L-1 in the water column. In addition to this species, Coccolithus pelagicus L pelagicus, which accounted for 4.2% of the assemblage, was representative of the coccolithophore standing crop in the western part of the subarctic Pacific. Coccolithus pelagicus f. hyalinus was relatively abundant in the Bering Sea, accounting for 2.6% of the assemblage. Coccolithophore standing crops in the top 50 in were high south of 41degreesN (>241 X 10(6) cells m(-2)) and east of 170degreesE (542 x 10(6) cells m(-2)) where temperatures were higher than 12degreesC and salinities were greater than 34.2. The lowest standing crop was observed in the Bering Sea and Oyashio areas where temperatures were lower than 6-10degreesC and salinities were less than 33.0. From the coccolithophore volumes, the calcite stocks in the Transition, Subarctic, and the Bering Sea regions were estimated to be 73.0, 9.7, and 6.9 mg m(-2), respectively, corresponding to calcite fluxes of 3.6, 0.5, and 0.3 mg m(-2) d(-1) using Stoke's Law.