This study is the first to report on the seasonal cycle of phytoplankton species fluxes in the STFZ, using a 12-month sediment trap record (1996–1997) on the northern (subtropical-influenced) and southern (subantarctic-influenced) flanks of the Chatham Rise. However, little is known about how two major phytoplankton groups, diatoms and coccolithophores, will respond, since the seasonality of their productivity and export fluxes to the seafloor are not well known in the SW Pacific sector. Climate change-related shifts in phytoplankton community structure and function are predicted and may affect Chatham Rise productivity and deep-sea carbon sequestration by the biological carbon pump. The Chatham Rise supports some of New Zealand's most economically valuable commercial fish stocks, fuelled by the highly productive waters of the Subtropical Frontal Zone (STFZ).
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