Ocean climate and hydrodynamics drive decadal shifts in Northeast Atlantic dinoflagellates

Abstract

The abundance of large marine dinoflagellates has declined in the North Sea since 1958. Although hypotheses have been proposed to explain this diminution (increasing temperature and wind), the mechanisms behind this pattern have thus far remained elusive. In this article, we study the long‐term changes in dinoflagellate biomass and biodiversity in relation to hydro‐climatic conditions and circulation within the North Atlantic. Our results show that the decline in biomass has paralleled an increase in biodiversity caused by a temperature‐induced northward movement of subtropical taxa along the European shelf‐edge, and facilitated by changes in oceanic circulation (subpolar gyre contraction). However, major changes in North Atlantic hydrodynamics in the 2010s (subpolar gyre expansion and low‐salinity anomaly) stopped this movement, which triggered a biodiversity collapse in the North Sea. Further, North Sea dinoflagellate biomass remained low because of warming. Our results, therefore, reveal that regional climate warming and changes in oceanic circulation strongly influenced shifts in dinoflagellate biomass and biodiversity.