Characteristics of platinum-group elements in basalts from spreading axis of Mariana Trough

Total platinum-group elements (PGEs) abundances in basalts from the spreading axis of Mariana Trough ranged from 0.418×10~(-9) to 1.022×10~(-9), and primitive mantle-normalized PGE patterns are of positive slope showing the relative enrichment of PPGE (platinum,palladium,rhodium) and gold relative to IPGE. Compared with other mantle-originated rocks, these basalts have lower PGE contents and wider ranges of primitive mantle-normalized ratios of palladium content to iridium one,palladium content to platinum one and palladium content to gold one exhibiting relative platinum and iridium depletion. Characteristics of PGE patterns indicated that the studied Mariana Trough basalts originated from low partial melting, and the MORB mantle beneath the spreading center had been contaminated by the arc-island mantle. In the aspect of trace elements, Mariana Trough basalts showed the enrichment of LILE, lead and LREE, indicating that they had been influenced by subduction compositions. All these demonstrated that Mariana Trough basalts are products of partial melting from a mixed mantle (the contamination of MORB mantle by arc-island mantle).     

Assessment of the exploitable biomass of thread herring(Opisthonema spp.) in northwestern Mexico

In recent years, the small pelagic fishery on the Pacific northwest coast of Mexico has significantly increased fishing pressure on thread herring Opisthonema spp. This fishery is regulated using a precautionary approach(acceptable biological catch(ABC) and minimum catch size). However, due to fishing dynamics, fish aggregation habits and increased fishing mortality, periodic biomass assessments are necessary to estimate ABC and assess the resource status. The Catch-MSY approach was used to analyze historical series of thread herring catches off the western Baja California Sur(BCS, 1981–2018) and the Gulf of California(GC, 1972–2018) to estimate exploitable biomass and target reference points in order to obtain catch quotas. According to the results, in GC,the maximum biomass reached in 1972(at the beginning of fishery) and minimum biomass reached in 2015; the estimated exploitable biomass for 2019 was 42.2×10~4 t; and the maximum sustainable yield(MSY) was 15.4×10~4 t.In the western BCS coast, the maximum biomass was reached in 1981(at the beginning of fishery) and minimum biomass was reached in 2017; the estimated exploitable biomass for 2019 was 3.2×10~4 t; and the MSY was 1.2×10~4 t.Both stocks showed a decrease in biomass over the past years and were currently near to point of full exploitation.The results suggest that the use of the Catch-MSY method is suitable to obtain annual biomass estimates, in order to establish an ABC, to know the current state of the resource, and to avoid overcoming the potential recovery of the stocks.     

Estimating submarine groundwater discharge at a subtropical river estuary along the Beibu Gulf,China

In certain regions,submarine groundwater discharge(SGD) into the ocean plays a significant role in coastal material fluxes and their biogeochemical cycle;therefore,the impact of SGD on the ecosystem cannot be ignored.In this study,SGD was estimated using naturally occurring radium isotopes(~(223)Ra and ~(224)Ra) in a subtropical estuary along the Beibu Gulf,China.The results showed that the Ra activities of submarine groundwater were approximately 10 times higher than those of surface water.By assuming a steady state and using an Ra mass balance model,the SGD flux in May 2018 was estimated to be 5.98×10~6 m~3/d and 3.60×10~6 m~3/d based on ~(224)Ra and ~(223)Ra,respectively.At the same time,the activities of Ra isotopes fluctuated within a tidal cycle;that is,a lower activity was observed at high tide and a higher activity was seen at low tide.Based on these variations,the average tidal pumping fluxes of SGD were 1.15×10~6 m~3/d and 2.44×10~6 m~3/d with ~(224)Ra and ~(223)Ra,respectively.Tidaldriven SGD accounts for 24%-51% of the total SGD.Therefore,tidal pumping is an important driving force of the SGD in the Dafengjiang River(DFJR) Estuary.Furthermore,the SGD of the DFJR Estuary in the coastal zone contributes significantly to the seawater composition of the Beibu Gulf and the material exchange between land and sea.     

应用一种基于产量数据评估方法对东海三个重要渔业的资源评估

Most fisheries in China do not have maximum sustainable yield(MSY) estimates due to limited and poor data.Therefore, finding a common method to estimate MSY or total allowable catch(TAC) for fishery management is necessary. MSYs of three important fisheries in the East China Sea were evaluated through a catch-based model.Estimates for intrinsic rate of increase(r) and five levels of process error were considered. Results showed hairtail Trichiurus japonicas(Temminck and Schlegel) and small yellow croaker Larimichthys polyactis(Bleeker) fisheries experienced overfishing from the mid-1990 s to the early 2000 s, and the suggested TACs were 55.8×10~4 t and9.06×10~4 t, respectively. Decades of overfishing in wintering and spawning grounds of large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea(Richardson) caused the fishery's collapse in the 1980 s, and it has not recovered until today.The Catch–MSY model generated similar estimated MSYs with other methods and may be a useful choice for the assessment of regional stocks in China.     

棉兰老流和棉兰老潜流在季节尺度上的关系研究

The ocean general circulation model for the earth simulator(OFES) products is applied to estimate the transports of the Mindanao Current(MC) and the Mindanao undercurrent(MUC) and explore the relation between them on seasonal scale. In general, the MUC is composed of the lower part of the Southern Pacific Tropical Water(SPTW)and Antarctic Intermediate Water(AAIW). While the deep northward core below 1 500 m is regarded as a portion of MUC. Both salinity and potential density restrictions become more reasonable to estimate the transports of MC/MUC as the properties of water mass having been taken into consideration. The climatological annual mean transport of MC is(37.4±5.81)×10~6 m~3/s while that of MUC is(23.92±6.47)×10~6 m~3/s integrated between 26.5 σ_θ and 27.7 σ_θ, and(17.53±5.45)×10~6 m~3/s integrated between 26.5 σ_θ and 27.5 σ_θ in the OFES. The variations of MC and MUC have good positive correlation with each other on the seasonal scale: The MC is stronger in spring and weaker in fall, which corresponds well with the MUC, and the correlation coefficient of them is 0.67 in the OFES.The same variations are also appeared in hybrid coordinate ocean model(HYCOM) results. Two sensitive experiments based on HYCOM are conducted to explore the relation between MC and MUC. The MUC(26.5σ_θ27.7) is strengthening as the MC increases with the enhancement of zonal wind field. It is shown,however, that the main part of the increasement is the deeper northward high potential density water(HPDW),while the AAIW almost remains stable, SPTW decreases, and vice versa.     

Areas of the global major river plumes

River plumes are the regions where the most intense river-sea-land interaction occurs, and they are characterized by complex material transport and biogeochemical processes. However, due to their highly dynamic nature, global river plume areas have not yet been determined for use in synthetic studies of global oceanography. Based on global climatological monthly averaged salinity data from the NOAA World Ocean Atlas 2009 (WOA09), and monthly averaged salinity contour maps of the East and South China Seas from the Chinese Marine Atlas, we extract the monthly plume areas of major global rivers using a geographic information system (GIS) technique. Only areas with salinities that are three salinity units lower than the average salinity in each ocean are counted. This conservative estimate shows that the minimum and maximum monthly values of the total plume area of the world’s 19 largest rivers are 1.72 × 10 6 km 2 in May and 5.38 × 10 6 km 2 in August. The annual mean area of these river plumes (3.72 × 10 6 km 2 ) takes up approximately 14.2% of the total continental shelves area worldwide (26.15 × 10 6 km 2 ). This paper also presents river plume areas for different oceans and latitude zones, and analyzes seasonal variations of the plume areas and their relationships with river discharge. These statistics describing the major global river plume areas can now provide the basic data for the various flux calculations in the marginal seas, and therefore will be of useful for many oceanographic studies.     

Heavy metal stress induced hyperglycemia in blue swimmer crab,Portunus pelagicus

The study was to find out the effect of cadmium and mercury on levels of hemolymph glucose, crustacean hyperglycemic hormone(CHH) and hepatopancreas glycogen in the blue swimmer crab Portunus pelagicus. The experiments were performed in both intact and eyestalk ablated crabs. Quantification of CHH was done by the indirect ELISA with the aid of primary anti-Carcinus maenas-CHH antibody. Higher glucose concentration was observed on exposure to 8×10~(–6) of cadmium((825.6±5.42) μg/m L) and 6×10~(–6) of mercury((90.5±6.25) μg/m L)after 48 h and 24 h respectively. Higher level of hemolymph glucose was observed in eyestalk intact crabs on exposure to cadmium and mercury than eyestalk ablated crabs. Decrease in the levels of CHH was observed in both eyestalk intact and ablated crabs on heavy metal exposure. Decline of the hepatopancreas glycogen level was also witnessed with the exposure to heavy metal, which validated its utilization in the production of glucose. Thus this study brings to light, the variations in hemolymph glucose, CHH and hepatopancreas glycogen on heavy metal stress. These carbohydrate metabolites can be used as biomarkers in assessing heavy metal contamination in water bodies.     

南海浅层经向翻转环流及相关的内部水体流动

The structure of the annual-mean shallow meridional overturning circulation(SMOC) in the South China Sea(SCS) and the related water movement are investigated,using simple ocean data assimilation(SODA) outputs.The distinct clockwise SMOC is present above 400 m in the SCS on the climatologically annual-mean scale,which consists of downwelling in the northern SCS,a southward subsurface branch supplying upwelling at around 10°N and a northward surface flow,with a strength of about 1×10~6 m~3/s.The formation mechanisms of its branches are studied separately.The zonal component of the annual-mean wind stress is predominantly westward and causes northward Ekman transport above 50 m.The annual-mean Ekman transport across 18°N is about 1.2×10~6 m~3/s.An annual-mean subduction rate is calculated by estimating the net volume flux entering the thermocline from the mixed layer in a Lagrangian framework.An annual subduction rate of about 0.66×10~6m~3/s is obtained between 17° and 20°N,of which 87% is due to vertical pumping and 13% is due to lateral induction.The subduction rate implies that the subdution contributes significantly to the downwelling branch.The pathways of traced parcels released at the base of the February mixed layer show that after subduction water moves southward to as far as 11°N within the western boundary current before returning northward.The velocity field at the base of mixed layer and a meridional velocity section in winter also confirm that the southward flow in the subsurface layer is mainly by strong western boundary currents.Significant upwelling mainly occurs off the Vietnam coast in the southern SCS.An upper bound for the annual-mean net upwelling rate between 10° and 15°N is 0.7×10~6m~3/s,of which a large portion is contributed by summer upwelling,with both the alongshore component of the southwest wind and its offshore increase causing great upwelling.     

Evolution of a coastal upwelling event during summer 2004 in the southern Taiwan Strait

A coastal upwelling event in the southern Taiwan Strait (STWS) was investigated using intensive cruise surveys (four repeated transects in a month) and satellite data in July and early August 2004.The extensive upwelling-associated surface cold water was first observed in early July (～2.0×10 4 km 2) along the STWS coast.Then,the cold surface water reduced in size by ～50% with decreased chlorophyll concentrations after 15 days,indicating the weakening of the upwelling event.At the end of July,the cold surface water disappeared.The temporal variations of the surface cold water and the 3-D hydrography around Dongshan Island are thought to be mainly attributed to the weakened upwelling-favorable southwestern wind,the asymmetric spatial structure of the wind field and the intrusion of warm water from the northern South China Sea.     

Inferring trophic variation for Antarctic krill(Euphausia superba) in the Antarctic Peninsula from the austral fall to early winter using stable isotope analysis

The Antarctic krill(Euphausia superba) is a key species in the Southern Ocean ecosystem and an important link in the food web of the Antarctic ecosystem. The trophic information for this species during the transition from the austral fall to the winter is important to understand its poorly known overwintering mechanisms. However, the few studies on the topic differ in their results, in terms of both spatial and temporal variables. We investigated the size dependence and monthly and regional variation in δ~(13) C and δ~(15) N values of adult krill in the Antarctic Peninsula, in the austral fall(April to May) and the early winter(June). We aimed to examine the trophic variations of krill occurred during this period, and the relationship between krill and their feeding environment in the Antarctic marine ecosystem. The following results were obtained:(1) no significant relationship was observed between size and the δ13 C value of krill, but the δ15 N value of krill presented a remarkable association with size;(2)the δ13 C values of krill increased during the austral fall, but no remarkable variation existed at the onset of winter,and the δ15 N values were not significant different during this period;(3) mean δ15 N values of krill differed significantly between the Bransfield Strait and the South Shetland Islands. Our data imply that adult krill present size-, season-, and region-dependent trophic variation during the transition from austral fall to early winter in the Antarctic Peninsula.     

Gravity anomalies and deep structure of the Andaman arc

The Andaman arc is associated with a major Free-air anomaly pair of mean amplitude 180 mgal. Two-dimensional gravity interpretation suggests significant mass anomalies below the arc that presumably have resulted due to subduction of the Indian plate below the Burma plate. It is inferred that the Andaman trench is of asymmetric V-shape containing about 7 km sediments. An outer bathymetric rise seaward of the trench possibly corresponds to a lithospheric flexure by 500 m. The Cretaceous-Tertiary sediments constituting the Andaman sedimentary arc attain their maximum thickness of about 13 km under the Nicobar. Deep at the subduction zone. At this location a mafic mass is emplaced within the sedimentary section. The underlying oceanic crust apparently experiences phase transition at about 27 km depth in a Benioff zone environment. The Andaman volcanic arc underlies a low density zone that is at least 60 km wide. Along the east margin of the Andaman Sea, cuustal transition presumably occurs below the Mergui Terrace at the Malayan coast.     

A precise bathymetric map of the world’s deepest seafloor,Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench

Data from three bathymetric surveys by R/V Kairei using a 12-kHz multibeam echosounder and differential GPS were used to create an improved topographic model of the Challenger Deep in the southwestern part of the Mariana Trench, which is known as the deepest seafloor in the world. The strike of most of the elongated structures related to plate bending accompanied by subduction of the Pacific plate is N70°E and is not parallel to the trench axis. The bending-related structures were formed by reactivation of seafloor spreading fabric. Challenger Deep consists of three en echelon depressions along the trench axis, each of which is 6–10 km long, about 2 km wide, and deeper than 10,850 m. The eastern depression is the deepest, with a depth of 10,920 ± 5 m.     

东海2012年夏季海-气界面碳交换及其区域碳汇强度变化趋势初探

基于2012年7月对东海的调查,剖析了其水体中各形态碳(pCO2、DIC、DOC、POC)的区域分布特征,估算了海-气界面CO2的交换通量(FCO2),探讨了影响其交换的主要因素,在此基础上,结合历史资料初步分析了近十几年来该海域海-气界面CO2交换通量的变化趋势。结果表明,2012年7月长江口邻近海域相对南部陆架区具有较低的DIC浓度,而DOC与POC的浓度相对较高。调查区域表层水pCO2变化范围为96.28~577.7μatm(1atm为101 325Pa),平均值为297.6μatm,低值区出现在长江冲淡水区(30°~33°N,123°~125°E),高值区主要分布在东海陆架的南部区域。表层水pCO2主要受控于长江冲淡水的输入和混合(盐度)、台湾暖流以及生物生产等。调查海域2012年7月海-气FCO2平均为(-6.410±7.486)mmol/(m2·d),表现东海在夏季是大气CO2的汇区,区域碳汇强度由强到弱依次为:长江冲淡水区(CDW)、黄东海混合水区(YEMW)、陆架咸淡水混合区(SMW)、近岸上升流区(CUW)和台湾暖流区(TWCW),东海夏季每日吸收大气CO2(以C计)约(18.3±19.8)kt。结合历史资料分析发现,近十几年来东海夏季碳汇强度有增强趋势,CDW区的海-气界面CO2通量平均年增速为-0.814mmol/(m2·d),即海水吸收大气二氧化碳每年增加约54.6kt,是夏季东海碳汇增加的最主要贡献者。     

ON THE AGE AND GROWTH OF Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae (GUNTHER) IN THE BOHAI SEA

The present paper deals with the age and growth of P. yokohamae, whose specimens were collected monthly from April 1982 to May 1983 by trawl in the Bohai Sea. In the study the age and growth of P. yokohamae is determined by annual ring on otolith. On the basis of calculation of monthly changes in appearing frequency for opaque zones on the otolith edgs it is determined that the annual ring of P. yokohamae is formed in January-March every year.The relation of the standard length to the body weight is W=3.2×10-5L2.3018. The relationship between the otolith radius and the standard length is R=-5.43× 10-3 1.71 ×10-2L- 1.20× 10-5L2. The growth for this species is expressed by von-Bertalanffy equation, Lt = L∞[1-e-K(t-t0)], where L∞ = 418mm, t0 = -0.7475 and K=0.252.The P. yokohamae grows faster at the age of 1-2, but slower after two years old. The coordinate of weight-growth inflexion point is at t =3.84 and W=386 g.     

Transition from frontal accretion to underplating in a part of the Nankai Trough Accretionary Complex off Shikoku (SW Japan) and extensional features on the lower trench slope

Migrated multichannel seismic reflection profiles and bathymetry from a 200 × 120 km area of the Nankai Trough inner slope reveal three physiographic-tectonic domains on the lowermost slope. Linear ridges demarking laterally-continuous hangingwall anticlines above ramps in a relatively simple imbricate stack of trench turbidites characterize the western domain. An imbricate fan underlies a relatively flat structural terrace in the east. Between these two domains lies a compound knoll (Minami Muroto Knoll) some 40 km long, opposite which the thrust front pushes some 10 km further seaward than is the case in the domains to east and west. In the western ‘linear-ridge’ domain previous DSDP drilling penetrated turbiditic trench fill uplifted in the lowermost thrust-fold terrace above a decollement within the underthrusting Shikoku Basin (oceanic plate) sequence. The Shikoku Basin sequence in the western domain is divided into an upper, poorly reflective, hemipelagic claystone unit and a lower, strongly reflective, unit comprising Pliocene turbidites. The lower unit is traceable intact up to c.20 km landward below the lower trench slope and in the better resolved profiles the decollement lies along the base of the claystone unit. A similar decollement within the Shikoku Basin sequence in the eastern domain is traceable up to c.22 km landward. A critical seismic record crossing the western part of Minami-Muroto Knoll shows that the decollement is traceable only 8 km landward to a point, under the steep slope at the front of the knoll, landward of which the subducting Shikoku basin sequence is apparently thickened by as much as twice. This thickening, occuring as it does immediately along-strike from a simple imbricate fan to the east of the knoll and a relatively simple imbricate stack to the west (both evidently involving no strata from the lower Shikoku Basin unit) we ascribe to underplating by formation of duplexes of Shikoku Basin strata. Strike-parallel extension, akin to that postulated for high structural levels in certain thrust belts, is caused by uplift of the knoll as a result either of the underplating, or segmentation of the subducting oceanic crust, or both: a normal fault throws to the west off the west flank of the knoll. It bounds a transverse, trough-like, slope-basin with at least 900 m of fill. Upslope from the knoll broadly slope-parallel normal faults cut, and pond, recent slope sediments. The most impressive is a listric growth fault which dips trenchward. Alternative explanations for these involve extensional collapse of this part of the prism resulting from the subduction of a topographic high, or a zone of selective underplating below the trenchward portion of Minami Murato Knoll.     

珠江口初级生产力和新生产力研究

1996年12月和1997年8月在珠江河口湾及其毗邻海域对浮游植物生物量、初级生产力和新生产力及其环境制约机制的研究.结果表明,调查海区的叶绿素a、初级生产力和新生产力均是夏季高于冬季,冬、夏两季的平均值分别为(0.95±0.41)和(1.08±0.52)μg/dm3,(69.2±75.5)和(198.7±119.1)mg/(m2·d),(1.46±0.79)和(3.05±3.09)mg/(m3·h).冬、夏两季平均f-比分别为0.45和0.38.分级叶绿素a结果显示,冬、夏两季均以微型和微微型级分(<20μm)占优势,其对海区叶绿素a的贡献分别为796%和81.6%,对初级生产力的贡献分别为70.7%和896%.调查海区具显著的空间区域化特征,叶绿素a和潜在初级生产力的高值出现在冲淡水区的中部,向口门区和远岸区逐渐降低.现场初级生产力的高值出现在远岸区,它与复合参数B_eZ_pI₀(B_e为真光层平均叶绿素a,Z_p为真光层深度,I₀为海面光辐射强度-PAR)呈很好的正相关,说明光是研究海区初级生产力的主要限制因子.新生产力冬、夏两季的高值分别出现在交椅湾和伶仃洋西南部.     

Bathymetry of the Tonga Trench and Forearc: a map series

Four new bathymetric maps of the Tonga Trench and forearc between 14 °S and 27 °S display the important morphologic and structural features of this dynamic convergent margin. The maps document a number of important geologic features of the margin. Major normal faults and fault lineaments on the Tonga platform can be traced along and across the upper trench slope. Numerous submarine canyons incised in the landward slope of the trench mark the pathways of sediment transport from the platform to mid- and lower-slope basins. Discontinuities in the trench axis and changes in the morphology of the landward slope can be clearly documented and may be associated with the passage and subduction of the Louisville Ridge and other structures on the subducting Pacific Plate. Changes in the morphology of the forearc as convergence changes from normal in the south to highly-oblique in the north are clearly documented. The bathymetric compilations, gridded at 500- and 200-m resolutions and extending along 500 km of the landward trench slope and axis, provide complete coverage of the outer forearc from the latitude of the Louisville Ridge-Tonga Trench collision to the northern terminus of the Tonga Ridge. These maps should serve as a valuable reference for other sea-going programs in the region, particularly the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) and the National Science Foundation MARGINS initiative.     

热带北太平洋西部固氮速率及固氮微生物组成

In the present study, we report N_2 fixation rate(~(15)N isotope tracer assay) and the diazotroph community structure(using the molecular method) in the western tropical North Pacific Ocean(WTNP)(13°–20°N, 120°–160°E). Our independent evidence on the basis of both in situ N_2 fixation activity and diazotroph community structure showed the dominance of unicellular N_2 fixation over majority of the WTNP surface waters during the sampling periods.Moreover, a shift in the diazotrophic composition from unicellular cyanobacteria group B-dominated to Trichodesmium spp.-dominated toward the western boundary current(Kuroshio) was also observed in 2013. We hypothesize that nutrient availability may have played a major role in regulating the biogeography of N_2 fixation.In surface waters, volumetric N_2 fixation rate(calculated by nitrogen) ranged between 0.6 and 2.6 nmol/(L·d) and averaged(1.2±0.5) nmol/(L·d), with 10 μm size fraction contributed predominantly(88%±6%) to the total rate between 135°E and 160°E. Depth-integrated N_2 fixation rate over the upper 200 m ranged between 150 μmol/(m~2·d)and 480 μmol/(m~2·d)(average(225±105) μmol/(m~2·d). N_2 fixation can account for 6.2%±3.7% of the depthintegrated primary production, suggesting that N_2 fixation is a significant N source sustaining new and export production in the WTNP. The role of N_2 fixation in biogeochemical cycling in this climate change-vulnerable region calls for further investigations.     

Deep CTD Casts in the Challenger Deep,Mariana Trench

On 1 December 1992, CTD (conductivity-temperature-depth profiler) casts were made at three stations in a north-south section of the Challenger Deep to examine temperature and salinity profiles. The station in the Challenger Deep was located at 11°22.78′ N and 142°34.95′ E, and the CTD cast was made down to 11197 db or 10877 m, 7 m above the bottom by reeling out titanium cable of 10980 m length. The southern station was located at 11° 14.19′ N and 142°34.79′ E, 16.1 km from the central station, where water depth is 9012 m. CTD was lowered to 7014 db or 6872 m. The northern station was located at 11°31.47′ N and 142° 35.30′ E, 15.9 km from the central station, and CTD was lowered to 8536 db or 8336 m, 10 m above the bottom. Below the thermocline, potential temperature decreased monotonously down to 7300–7500 db beyond a sill depth between 5500 m and 6000 m, or between 5597 db and 6112 db, of the trench. Potential temperature increased from 7500 db to the bottom at a constant rate of 0.9 m°C/1000 db. Salinity increased down to 6020–6320 db, and then stayed almost constant down to around 9000 db. From 9500 db to the bottom, salinity increased up to 34.703 psu at 11197 db. Potential density referred to 8000 db increased monotonously down to about 6200 db, and it was almost constant from 6500 db to 9500 db. Potential density increased from 9500 db in accordance with the salinity increase. Geostrophic flows were calculated from the CTD data at three stations. Below an adopted reference level of 3000 db, the flow was westward in the north of Challenger Deep and eastward in the south, which suggests a cyclonic circulation over the Challenger Deep. Sound speed in Challenger Deep was estimated from the CTD data, and a relation among readout depth of the sonic depth recorder, true depth, and pressure was examined.     

Nutrient Enrichments of Waters of "Golfo de San Jose" (Argentina, 42 oS), Growth and Species Selection of Phytoplankton

Abstract. Coastal Patagonian sea waters had been differentially nutrient-enriched to determine (i) the magnitude of the algal biomass supported and (ii) which species were able to best compete for the available nutrients. Nitrogen was found to be the nutrient limiting growth of the natural phytoplankton population. The addition of NO₃ at 25 μg at 1^-1 led to a 10 to 30 μg 1^-1 increase in chlorophyll a in all but those treatments containing trace metal additions. The best yield coefficients were obtained when a chelator (EDTA) was added with NO₃. A pool of nine diatom species were common in the N0₃ supplemented waters and the addition of vitamins along with NO₃ allowed two of the nine species to dominate.