Articles | Volume 16, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-2101-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-16-2101-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 Nov 2025
Research article |
| 20 Nov 2025
| 20 Nov 2025
Irreversible phytoplankton community shifts over Subpolar North Atlantic in response to CO2 forcing
Dong-Geon Lee
Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, South Korea
Eun Young Kwon
IBS Center for Climate Physics, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
Jonghun Kam
Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), Pohang, South Korea
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
Interdisciplinary Program in Artificial Intelligence, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea
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Short summary
Phytoplankton communities in the Sub-Polar North Atlantic shift towards smaller species under greenhouse warming, with limited recovery even under CO2 removal. This shift results from reduced surface nutrient availability caused by the weakened Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which recovers slowly. Nutrient depletion disrupts trophic dynamics, decreasing diatoms and increasing smaller phytoplankton, leading to a significant reduction in the ocean's carbon export capacity.
Phytoplankton communities in the Sub-Polar North Atlantic shift towards smaller species under...
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