Sea foam as an object of sea-surface film studies

Abstract

Sea foam and sea-surface films are pelagic habitats of common origin. This suggests a possible similarity between their microplanktonic assemblages and an a priori possibility to use foam samples in qualitative sea-surface film studies. The composition and abundance of microheterotrophs (nanoflagellates <5 pm and bacteria) in the Dalnezelenetskaya Inlet, Kola Peninsula, Barents Sea, in August 1987, was nearly identical in the foam and sea-surface film samples. In contrast, the enrichment of foam with autotrophs (nano- and microphytoplankton) exceeded by an order of magnitude that of sea-surface films, whereas their taxonomic compositions were virtually identical in both habitats. Elevated growth rates of phytoplankton in sea foam appear to be an ecological mechanism responsible for the enrichment.