Nonlinear Processes in Geophysics www.nonlin-processes-geophys.net 1023-5809 1607-7946 17 2 2010 10.5194/npg-17-177-2010 http://www.nonlin-processes-geophys.net/17/177/2010/ http://www.nonlin-processes-geophys.net/17/177/2010/npg-17-177-2010.html http://www.nonlin-processes-geophys.net/17/177/2010/npg-17-177-2010.pdf 177 186 2010-03-31 The role of mesoscale eddies time and length scales on phytoplankton production V. Pérez-Muñuzuri vicente.perez@cesga.es F. Huhn MeteoGalicia, Consellería de Medio Ambiente, Rúa Roma, 6, 15707 Santiago de Compostela, Spain Group of Nonlinear Physics, Faculty of Physics, Univ. of Santiago de Compostela, 15781 Santiago de Compostela, Spain Horizontal mixing has been found to play a crucial role in the development of spatial plankton structures in the ocean. We study the influence of time and length scales of two different horizontal two-dimensional (2-D) flows on the growth of a single phytoplankton patch. 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