| Abstract: | Based on plankton samples collected from 100–0 m depths in the years 1979–1980, the duration of biological seasons was determined and the seasonal succession of plankton was followed in five surface water modification zones: Kuril, Subarctic, Subtropical transformed, Oyashio (cold), and Soya (warm). The  bloom of phytoplankton off the southern Kuril Islands begins in the months March–May and continues until June in waters of warm currents and until September in cold waters. Succession rates vary among the zones. In cold-water zones, the change in the plankton community from the spring to the summer state occurs about half a month later than in warm waters. The reason for this lag is the slower sea surface heating and the later stratification in cold-water zones. |
