Presence of high nitrate to phosphate ratio subsurface water in the Tsushima Strait during summer

To identify water with an excess nitrate concentration to phosphate ratio and its potential source, the nutrient concentrations in the Tsushima Strait (TSS) were investigated over ten cruises in August and September 2007–2014, excluding 2010. On the basis of the Redfield ratio, water with an excess nitrate concentration of >1 μM (positive ExNOx water) was identified below the surface mixed layer during four cruises in 2011–2013. Positive ExNOx water was present mainly in less-saline (<34) waters with a density of 22–25 σ _θ , and 25–75 m depth. However, in August 2012, positive ExNOx was detected in dense (25–25.5 σ _θ ) and deep (50–110 m depth) waters near the salinity maximum, although the salinity during this period was significantly lower than that in other years. The horizontal length of positive ExNOx water was >100 km across the TSS during two cruises in August 2012 and September 2013, respectively. According to multi-regression analysis conducted on the silicate concentration, temperature, and salinity, the silicate concentration was increased in the less-saline subsurface water. The required amount of original freshwater was 10^8–9 m³ day^?1 based on the excess nitrate concentration. This evidence indicates that the positive ExNOx water originated from large river waters such as the Changjiang. Thus, discharged water from the rivers of the East Asia is contributing to the increased N:P ratio in the Tsushima Warm Current, southern Japan Sea.     

Mechanism of Nutrient Supply to Warm-Core Ring off Sanriku, Japan

The mechanism by which nutrient is supplied to a warm-core ring (WCR) was investigated in order to understand the greater productivity of WCR than that of the Kuroshio, where the WCR originattes. A single WCR was observed in January and May, 1997. The thermostad (a layer of isothermal and isohaline water) of the WCR had different properties from January to May, the differences: Δwater temperature: −0.698°C, Δsalinity: −0.048, Δsigma θ: +0.072, Δnitrite+nitrate-N: +1.83 μM, Δphosphate: +0.011 μM and Δsilicate: +3.2 μM. We examined three possible mechanisms for nutrient supply to WCR in winter, namely: 1) inflow of the Oyashio surface water into WCR; 2) isopycnal mixing with Oyashio water; 3) entrainment of the water below the WCR into the WCR. The results were as follows: 1) When the decrease of salinity was due to the inflow of the Oyashio surface water, the increase of nutrients (nitrite+nitrate-N, phosphate-P and silicate-Si) was estimated to be only 17–27% of the observed increase. 2) When the decrease of salinity was due to isopycnal mixing, the increase of nutrients was estimated to be 30–42% of the observed increase. 3) When the decrease of salinity in the WCR in May was due to entrainment of the water below the WCR in winter by convection, the mixing depth was calculated be 620 m according to the salt budget. The increase of nutrients in this case was calculated to be 82–95% of the observed increase. The main mechanism of nutrient supply to WCR was concluded to be due to the entrainment of the water below the WCR by winter mixing. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Water masses in the Humboldt Current System: Properties,distribution, and the nitrate deficit as a chemical water mass tracer for Equatorial Subsurface Water off Chile

Three sections are used to analyze the physical and chemical characteristics of the water masses in the eastern South Pacific and their distributions. Oceanographic data were taken from the SCORPIO (May–June 1967), PIQUERO (May–June 1969), and KRILL (June 1974) cruises. Vertical sections of temperature, salinity, σ_θ, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicate were used to analyze the water column structure. Five water masses were identified in the zone through T–S diagrams: Subantarctic Water, Subtropical Water, Equatorial Subsurface Water, Antarctic Intermediate Water, and Pacific Deep Water. Their proportions in the sea water mixture are calculated using the mixing triangle method. Vertical sections were used to describe the geographical distributions of the water mass cores in the upper 1500 m. Several characteristic oceanographic features in the study area were analyzed: the shallow salinity minimum displacement towards the equator, the equatorial subsurface salinity maximum associated with a dissolved oxygen minimum zone and a high nutrient content displacement towards the south, and the equatorward intermediate Antarctic salinity minimum associated with a dissolved oxygen maximum. The nitrate deficit generated in the denitrification area off Peru and northern Chile is proposed as a conservative chemical tracer for the Equatorial Subsurface Waters off the coast of Chile, south of 25°S.     

The Irish Sea: Is it eutrophic?

The question of whether the Irish Sea is eutrophic is addressed by reviewing the evidence for anthropogenic nutrient enrichment, elevated phytoplankton production and biomass and undesirable disturbance in the context of the EU and OSPAR definitions of eutrophication. Winter concentrations of dissolved available inorganic phosphate (DAIP), nitrogen (DAIN as nitrate and nitrite) and silicate (Si) in coastal waters and concentrations of DAIP and Si in offshore waters of the Irish Sea are elevated relative to winter Celtic Sea shelf break concentrations (0.5 μM DAIP, 7.7 μM DAIN and 2.7 μM Si). Significant, negative nutrient salinity relationships and analysis of the Isle of Man nutrient time-series indicate that the elevated Irish Sea levels of DAIP and DAIN are the result of anthropogenic enrichment with highest concentrations (≈2.0 μM DAIP, 30 μM DAIN and 17 μM Si) measured in near shore eastern Irish Sea waters.     

The effect of a tidal cycle on the dynamics of nutrients in a tidal estuary in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

A 24 hour time series survey was carried out during a spring tide (tidal range ca.2 m) of May 1995 on a tidal estuary in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, in the context of an integrated program planned to quantify the dynamics of biophilic elements (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) and the roles played by the macrobenthos on the processes. Three stations were set along a transect line of about 1.4 km, which linked the river to the rear to the innermost part of the subtidal zone. Every hour, at each station, measurements were made of surface water temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration, and surface water was collected for the determination of nutrients [NH₄ ⁺−N, (NO₃ ⁻+NO₂ ⁻)−N, PO₄ ³⁻−P and Si (OH)₄−Si]. During the ebb flow, riverine input of silicate and nitrate+nitrite significantly increased the concentrations of both the intertidal and the subtidal stations. Conversely, during the high tide, river nutrient concentrations were lowered by the mixing of fresh water with sea water. As a result, best (inverse) correlations were found at the river station for salinity against silicate (y=-2.9 Sal.+110.7,r ²=0.879) and nitrate+nitrite (y=-1.3 Sal.+48.4,r ²=0.796). In contrast, ammonium nitrogen concentrations were higher at intermediate salinities. Indeed, no significant correlation was found between salinity and ammonium. The effect of the macrobenthos, which is abundant on the intertidal flat, is discussed as a biological component that influences the processes of nutrient regeneration within the estuary. The effect of the tidal amplitude is an important one in determining the extent of the variations in nutrient concentrations at all three stations, which were stronger between the lower low tide and the higher high tide.     

Impact of a cyclonic eddy on phytoplankton community structure and photosynthetic competency in the subtropical North Pacific Ocean

A synoptic spatial examination of the eddy Haulani (17–20 November 2000) revealed a structure typical of Hawaiian cyclonic eddies with divergent surface flow forcing the upward displacement of deep waters. Hydrographic surveys revealed that surface water in the eddy center was ca. 3.5°C cooler, 0.5 saltier, and 1.4 kg m⁻³ denser than surface waters outside the eddy. Vertically integrated concentrations of nitrate+nitrite, phosphate and silicate were enhanced over out-eddy values by about 2-fold, and nitrate+nitrite concentrations were ca. 8× greater within the euphotic zone inside the eddy than outside. Si:N ratios were lower within the upper mixed layer of the eddy, indicating an enhanced Si uptake relative to nitrate+nitrite. Chlorophyll a concentrations were higher within the eddy compared to control stations outside, when integrated over the upper 150 m, but were not significantly different when integrated over the depth of the euphotic zone. Photosynthetic competency, assessed using fast repetition-rate fluorometry, varied with the doming of the isopycnals and the supply of macro-nutrients to the euphotic zone. The physical and chemical environment of the eddy selected for the accumulation of larger phytoplankton species. Photosynthetic bacteria (Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus) and small (<3 μm diameter) photosynthetic eukaryotes were 3.6-fold more numerically abundant outside the eddy as compared to inside. Large photosynthetic eukaryotes (>3 μm diameter) were more abundant inside the eddy than outside. Diatoms of the genera Rhizosolenia and Hemiaulus outside the eddy contained diazotrophic endosymbiontic cyanobacteria, but these endosymbionts were absent from the cells of these species inside the eddy. The increase in cell numbers of large photosynthetic eukaryotes with hard silica or calcite cell walls is likely to have a profound impact on the proportion of the organic carbon production that is exported to deep water by sinking of senescent cells and cells grazed by herbivorous zooplankton and repackaged as large fecal pellets.     

Nutrient concentrations and fluxes in the Changjiang Estuary during summer

In June 2003 and 2006 concentrations of nutrient were determined in the Changjiang Estuary. The data indicated that phosphate and nitrate did not behave conservatively in the estuary, but silicate behaved conservatively. An important mobilization of phosphate and nitrate was observed from the river up to halfway in the estuary. Both input flux (from river to estuary) and output flux (from estuary to coastal zone) of phosphate, silicate and nitrate were calculated from statistical interpretations of the salinity profiles. There was a large discrepancy between input and output fluxes of phosphate and nitrate. The river fluxes of silicate, phosphate and nitrate (f_r) are augmented 5.3%, 28.9% and 36.6% in June 2003 and 1.0%, 62.5%, 31.7% in June 2006 by internal inputs (f_i). The phosphate and nitrate fluxes are enhanced through the estuarine process, while silicate flux is unaltered. The authors present some long-term data for nutrient concentrations and the ratios of silicon to nitrogen to phosphorus in the Changjiang Estuary. Silicate level falled in the last two decades, while concentration of nitrate increased. Phosphate concentration had no significant change.     

Relationship between Salinity and Nutrients in the Subsurface Layer in the Suruga Bay

We investigated the water structure and nutrient distribution in the Suruga Bay from April 2000 to July 2002, especially the Offshore Water, which occupies a large part of the bay. The maximum salinity in the upper 200 m varied between 34.49 and 34.71, indicating a temporal change in the influence of Kuroshio Water on the Offshore Water. Seasonal variation in nutrient concentrations was largest from surface to 50 m. On the other hand, the variance in nutrient concentrations within each season was largest in the subsurface layer of 100–300 m in spring, summer and fall. In the Offshore Water, the change of nutrients was negatively correlated with that of salinity in each season. This suggests that an increasing intrusion of saline water brings about a lower nutrient concentration in the Offshore Water. Likewise, negative correlations were observed between the change of the maximum salinity and chlorophyll a (Δ [chl.a-int])/nutrients integrated in the upper 200 m. Δ[chl.a-int] was significantly correlated with the changes of nitrate and phosphorus, but there were no significant correlations between Δ[chl.a-int] and the change of silicate. These results suggest that the concentrations of chlorophyll a and nutrients in the Offshore Water were decreased due to the increasing intrusion of Kuroshio Water. The Offshore Water is likely to be related to the regulation of primary production by nitrate.     

Biogeochemical processes in a freshwater–seawater mixing zone in permeable sediments along the coast of Southern Brazil

The southern portion of the Brazilian coast is dominated by coastal lagoons formed by sandy barrier spits with small inlets. This coastal configuration is a barrier to the surface flow of freshwater to the sea; thus, we suspect that a significant amount of freshwater flows through the permeable sands, beneath the barrier spits, where it mixes with seawater. We excavated an 18-m-deep well into the barrier spit which separates the Patos Lagoon from the South Atlantic. Using this well, we were able to sample interstitial waters from discrete layers, at 1-m intervals, which were analyzed for salinity, temperature, pH, nutrients (ammonium, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate), uranium, molybdenum, and barium. Similar analyses were made on surface water samples from the Patos Lagoon estuarine mixing zone.Results of well samples show a continuous increase in salinity with depth reaching 18 at the bottom. Ammonium and silicate are high, generally around 100 and 100–150 μM, respectively, throughout the subterranean profile. Phosphate shows a distinct maximum at about 6 m (ca. 25 μM), and nitrate is generally low in all well samples. Uranium and molybdenum exhibit a minimum in the well profile at about the same location where barium exhibits a maximum (greater than 2 μM). When results are compared to the surface lagoon–seawater mixing data, ammonium, phosphate, silicate, and barium in well samples of similar salinity show considerable enrichment, while a comparison of uranium and molybdenum data indicates significant depletion of these metals in most well samples.Based on these and other data, we deduce that the following processes are active: products of remineralization of organic detritus accumulated in lagoon sediments are advected through permeable sediments to the oceans; dissolution of biogenic solids and/or solid silicates mobilizes silicate; phosphate, uranium, and molybdenum are mobilized from phosphate-rich sediment layers; sulfate reducers remove uranium and perhaps molybdenum from solution throughout most of the well profile; barium is desorbed from solids in the subterranean mixing zone. These results demonstrate that freshwater discharged to the ocean through permeable sediments may have a significantly different composition than that discharged at the surface.     

Control of Phosphate Concentration through Adsorption and Desorption Processes in Groundwater and Seawater Mixing at Sandy Beaches in Tokyo Bay, Japan

Field observation was conducted to monitor phosphate concentrations in groundwater and seawater mixing at two sandy beaches in Futtsu and Miura in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Dissolved phosphate concentrations were measured along transects from fresh groundwater aquifer to seawater adjacent the beaches. The concentrations were often high (up to 46 µM) in fresh groundwater samples (Cl^– < 0.2). Coastal seawater, on the other hand, exhibited low phosphate concentrations (1.5 µM or less). Along the transects, phosphate generally displayed non-conservative behavior during mixing of fresh and saline waters in the aquifer; concentrations as high as 100 µM were found around the upper limit of seawater intrusion (Cl^– = 2). Laboratory experiments were executed to identify the processes that control the phosphate behavior in the mixing processes. The results revealed that adsorption-desorption processes by the aquifer sand particles could significantly control the phosphate concentrations in the groundwater. Furthermore, the adsorption and/or desorption was found to be a function of salinity; the equilibrium concentration of dissolved phosphate in slurry of sand and water was the highest in freshwater and decreased considerably in saline water. The extreme concentration of phosphate may be caused by release from sand particles coinciding with the rapid change in salinity with tide.     

Pore Water Nutrient Regeneration in Shallow Coastal Bohai Sea, China

The regeneration of pore water nutrients was studied and the contribution of benthic nutrient fluxes to the overlying water was evaluated on the basis of field specific observations conducted in September–October 1998 and April–May 1999 in the Bohai Sea. Nutrient concentrations in sediment pore waters were examined by incubating sediment core samples with overlying seawater in air and/or nitrogen conditions. Nutrient diffusion fluxes calculated by diagenetic equations were within a factor of 2 during incubations. The factors affecting nutrient diffusion across sediment/water interface include bioturbation, nitrification, denitrification, adsorption, and dissolution. The regeneration of nutrients from sediments will increase nutrient loads of the Bohai Sea and affect nutrient atomic ratios in this region. Among nutrient sources from riverine input, atmospheric deposition and sediment regeneration, ammonium and phosphate mainly came from atmospheric deposition (>50%); nitrate was mainly transported by riverine input into the Sea, silicate from sediment regeneration accounts up to 60%. This demonstrates that nutrient regeneration in sediments contributes more silicate than riverine input and atmospheric deposition together, but benthic flux contributes very much less phosphate and nitrate relative to riverine input and atmospheric deposition. The benthic fluxes of nutrients may lead to a decrease of the amount of nitrate, an increase of phosphate, ammonia and silicate in the water column. The release of silicate from sediments may compensate the decrease of silicate due to the reduction of riverine discharge. Nutrient regeneration in sediment may have an important influence on the eutrophic character of coastal waters in this region. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

2012年春季渤海中部及邻近海域叶绿素a与环境因子的分布特征

分析了2012年春季渤海中部及其邻近海域32个站点叶绿素a和环境因子的空间分布特征及其相互关系。结果发现:渤海中部靠近黄河口邻近水域相对于其他水域,呈现出相对较高的水温和较低的盐度,这与黄河淡水输入以及近岸水深相对较浅有密切关系。营养盐浓度在空间分布上表现为黄河口附近海域较高,在垂直分布上表现为中、底层高于表层,显示出黄河水输入与沉积物营养盐再释放的影响;此外,营养盐浓度与结构显示,渤海海域存在明显的磷和硅限制,磷限制尤其严重。叶绿素a浓度的空间分布显示,表层叶绿素a浓度的高值区出现在渤海湾湾口处,而中层与底层的叶绿素a浓度高值区出现在渤海中部。主成分分析结果表明,磷酸盐和温度是影响表层叶绿素a浓度的重要因素,而中、底层叶绿素a浓度主要受磷酸盐的影响。     

Multiparameter cluster analysis of seasonal variation of water masses in the eastern Beibu Gulf

Using the hierarchical clustering method, we present comprehensive analyses of water masses and their seasonal variations based on substantial in situ observations in the eastern Beibu Gulf, a shallow sea with a depth mostly less than 100 m. Besides traditional physical parameters (salinity and temperature), chemical and biological parameters are also used for the water mass classification and analyses, which include dissolved oxygen, alkalinity, nitrite, reactive silicate, and chlorophyll a. Consequently, the eastern Beibu Gulf water is classified into five water masses in the study area, namely the diluted water, the mixed water, the surface water, the subsurface water, and the bottom water. The diluted water is located in the area along the Guangxi coast; the mixed water mainly occupies the northern study area; the surface water resides in the central and southern study area; the subsurface water exists just near the Gulf mouth; and the bottom water appears in the lower layer east of Bailongwei Island, which is different from the Beibu Gulf cold water mentioned in previous studies. The parameter properties and spatial distribution of most water masses in the eastern Beibu Gulf exhibit strong seasonal variability which is mainly modulated by circulations and solar radiation.     

Variations of the Nutrients Loads to the Mainland U.K. Estuaries: Correlation with Catchment Areas, Urbanization and Coastal Eutrophication

The annual loads of nutrients (TO_xN equal to nitrate+nitrite; ammonium, phosphate, silicate) to all the estuaries on the mainland of the United Kingdom were estimated from data on water flow through gauging stations at the tidal limits of estuaries, and from concentration measurements under the Harmonised Monitoring Scheme of nutrient concentrations in water samples from these stations. The annual loads of nutrients showed distinct regional variations, with estuaries along the west coast of Wales and northern Scotland having much smaller loads than those along the east coast of England. The largest nitrogen loads were of TO_xN, and ammonium loads were usually small in comparison. The Severn, Mersey, Humber and Thames had the highest loads, although these were small in relation to the larger continental European estuaries. Loads of TO_xN per unit of catchment area were surprisingly constant (about 10⁵ moles N km⁻² y⁻¹). The nutrient loads showed that most U.K. catchments were influenced by human activity, the majority being in the ‘ moderately influenced ’ category. Nutrient loads were also normalized for the area of each estuary, as a measure of the relative influence of nutrients on the receiving estuaries. The ratios of N:P, N:Si and P:Si in the annual loads suggested that most estuaries were likely to be, if anything, P limited rather than N or Si limited. However, crude annual loads may conceal significant seasonal variations.The spring maximum chlorophylla concentrations in coastal waters adjacent to each estuary were significantly correlated with the log total annual loads of TO_xN, ammonium and phosphate (but not silicate) for each estuary, providing a direct link between a measure of the degree of biological response in coastal waters and the nutrient load through the estuaries. There were no significant correlations between spring maximum chlorophyll a concentrations and either catchment-normalized or estuary-normalized nutrient loads. There was significant correlation between catchment area-normalized loads of phosphate and an urbanization index for the catchments, but not with the catchment area-normalized loads of the other nutrients.     

Nutrient distributions in baroclinic eddies of the oligotrophic North Atlantic and inferred impacts on biology

High-sensitivity (nanomolar) techniques for nitrate and phosphate were applied to study nutrient patterns in the euphotic zone of mesoscale eddies in the Sargasso Sea during the EDDIES project. Surface concentrations of nitrate plus nitrite (DNN) and phosphate (DIP) were found in the range of 1–20 nM with substantial spatial variability in the eddies, with resulting mean N:P molar ratios of 2.1. Chlorophyll biomass was well correlated with DNN but not DIP in the upper euphotic zone, suggesting N-limitation of marine phytoplankton at this time of year. Within the upper 140 m, the water column experienced a transition from a P-enriched (relative to Redfield ratio) shallow layer to a N-enriched deep layer, which may suggest downward transport and subsequent remineralization of high N/P biogenic products presumably originating from N₂ fixation. Chlorophyll biomass in the deep chlorophyll maximum of eddies was found to be tightly related to eddy–induced variability in major nutrients (N, P, Si) and nutrient stoichiometry, suggesting that the impact of eddies on biology is through control of nutrient availability. Because the eddies were likely to be in various phases of development (different degrees of both biological and physical maturity), full interpretation of eddy data and dynamics will require better coverage of a full eddy life cycle.     

西北太平洋楚科奇海沉积物-水界面营养盐输送通量估算

陆架区沉积物间隙水的营养盐再生是水体营养盐补充的重要途径之一。楚科奇海陆架区中部沉积物间隙水中的营养盐分布,是物理和生物扰动较弱状态下的沉积物-水界面的典型分布。本文对中国第4次北极科学考察采集的4个多管短柱沉积物样品及多管样站位的上层水样进行分析,得到沉积物间隙水、上覆水以及水柱中营养盐数据。结果表明,沉积物间隙水各营养盐浓度均先随沉积深度增加而呈指数快速升高,记为Ⅰ层;然后进入沉积物再矿化作用与营养盐移出速率相互抵消的稳定变化层,营养盐浓度在该阶段基本不变,记为Ⅱ层;最后是营养盐缓慢递减层,记为Ⅲ层,由于该层有机质降解作用耗尽氧气,NO-3和PO3-4被还原细菌利用而失去氧离子。通过双层模式和Fick第一扩散定律,计算得出楚科奇海沉积物-水界面硅酸盐、磷酸盐和硝酸盐的扩散通量分别为1.660mmol/(m2·d)(以Si计量)、0.008mmol/(m2·d)(以P计量)、0.117mmol/(m2·d)(以N计量)(以R06站为例)。四个调查站位沉积物中硅酸盐的扩散通量分别为3.101mmol/(m2·d)(以Si计量,CC1站)、1.660mmol/(m2·d)(以Si计量,R06站)、1.307mmol/(m2·d)(以Si计量,C07站)、0.243mmol/(m2·d)(以Si计量,S23站),含量呈现明显的纬度分布特征。沉积物间隙水N*的分布表明,楚科奇海沉积环境具有很强的反硝化过程,沉积物脱氮作用是硝酸盐一个重要的汇。     

Some chemical characteristics of the brines in Bannock and Tyro Basins: salinity, sulphur compounds, Ca, F, pH, At, PO4, SiO2, NH3

Results of the chemical investigation on the Bannock and Tyro Basins are reported.Both basins were found to be hypersaline ( 10 times higher than salinity of normal seawater) and anoxic. In all investigated basins a region of transition, a few meters thick, was identified at depths > 3327 dbar. It is characterized by a sharp gradient of salinity, and all concentrations of analysed species increase strongly except for dissolved oxygen and nitrate, which immediately drop to zero. This region appears as a sharp boundary that prevents mixing. As a result, in the presence of organic matter, an anoxic condition developed with the complete depletion of dissolved oxygen. At the same time, hydrogen sulphide and ammonium accumulated within the brine. Between the Bannock and the Tyro brines differences occur in the measured concentrations of H₂S, SO²⁻₄, Ca²⁺ and NH₃. There are some differences also within the Bannock area sub-basins.The Libeccio sub-basin, in the Bannock area, contains a double-layered brine: the upper layer is 140 dbar thick and the lower layer is 300 dbar thick. A second interface between upper and lower brines develops at a depth of 3500 dbar. Nearly all of the measured concentrations vs. depth show the double layer, with the exception of ammonium, the concentration of which remains nearly constant throughout the anoxic column. Profiles of the other species analyzed show remarkable differences on passing from the upper to the lower brine. Hydrogen sulphide, sulphate and fluoride concentrations appear constant and then increase at the second interface. The calcium concentration is also constant in the upper brine, but decreases at the second interface. Total alkalinity and phosphate concentrations show a maximum peak just below the first interface. However, after passing through the second interface all the chemical parameters exhibit an almost constant behaviour down to the bottom.Hypersaline conditions are attributed to the dissolution of Messinian evaporite, and anoxia is suggested to originate from the oxidation of organic matter present in sediments and from the absence of bottom water circulation in such a deep and enclosed environment.The chemical conditions can be summarized as follows: in the Libeccio Basin the values for the species analysed have the ranges: 39–321 psu for ‘salinity’, 8.2−6.5 for pH, 2.7–4.0 mM for total alkalinity, 0.2-0 mM for dissolved oxygen, 0–1669 μM for hydrogen sulphide, 0–198 μM for thiol, 31–99 mM for sulphate, 11–21 mM for calcium, 7–100 μM for fluoride, 0.2–3080 μM for ammonium, 5.8-0 μM for nitrite, 0.2–12 μM for phosphate and 8–130 μM for silicate.     

Hurricane Katrina induced nutrient runoff from an agricultural area to coastal waters in Biscayne Bay,Florida

Water quality surveys conducted in Biscayne Bay, Florida, indicated enhanced nutrient input coupled with increased runoff as a result of precipitation associated with Hurricane Katrina. Nutrient concentrations before Katrina ranged from 0.06–24.2 μM (mean 3.3 μM) for nitrate and 0.01–0.18 μM (mean 0.1 μM) for soluble reactive phosphate. Five days after Katrina, nitrate concentrations ranged from 0.87–80.0 μM (mean 17.0 μM), with a bay-wide mean increase of 5.2-fold over pre-hurricane levels. Soluble reactive phosphate concentrations ranged from 0.07–0.62 μM (mean 0.2 μM), with a bay-wide mean increase of 2-fold over pre-hurricane levels. The maximum concentrations for both nitrate and soluble reactive phosphate were found at a water quality monitoring station near the mouth of Mowry Canal, which drains an agricultural area in the southern Biscayne Bay watershed near Homestead, Florida. At this station, nitrate and soluble reactive phosphate concentrations increased 7- and 10-fold, respectively. Storm-induced fertilizer runoff from this agricultural area caused a bay-wide increase in nutrient concentrations after Hurricane Katrina. Nutrient concentrations in the bay returned to pre-hurricane levels within three months after Hurricane Katrina, showing the resiliency of the Biscayne Bay ecosystem.     

Nutrients in an oligotrophic boundary current: Evidence of a new role for the Leeuwin Current

New observations along the continental shelf of Western Australia provide a novel explanation for the established ∼60 years relationship between Leeuwin Current (LC) strength and greater winter nitrate concentrations at 32°S plus the inter-annual variation in the magnitude of the annual, shelf-scale, phytoplankton bloom. The potential source of dissolved nitrogen to support the annual shelf scale phytoplankton bloom was identified as thin layers of an unprecedented areal extent, nitrate concentration and shallow nature that were observed off the northwest of Australia. We propose that the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) in these layers enters the LC at depth and then enters the euphotic zone via by three mechanisms: instability that results in a warm core eddy, cooling that deepens the surface mixed layer and shallowing of the thin layer. During the onset of the annual phytoplankton bloom along the west coast of Australia from 22°S to 34°S the poleward flowing LC was clearly evident as a surface intensified ocean boundary current transporting warmer, lower-salinity, greater-silicate waters in a shallow mixed layer rapidly southward. Between 24 and 26°S the core of the LC was present as a 50–100 m deep layer over one or more thin layers, 15–50 m thick, with high nitrate and low dissolved oxygen (DO). These layers were of lower salinity, cooler water with markedly reduced DO, high nitrate concentrations and distinct nitrate:silicate (NO₃:Si(OH)₄) nutrient ratios. As the LC flowed south it cooled and deepened thereby entraining the thin layers of high nitrate water into the euphotic zone. The LC also formed large (greater than 100 km diameter) warm core eddies with a deep surface mixed layer that also entrained nitrate from these thin layers. In some locations as far south as 32°S the LC was still present with the thin layer of high nitrate intact but now within the euphotic zone. Thus, the available evidence suggests the LC arises under conditions that favour rapid and shallow nitrification. This nitrification fuels a shelf-scale bloom on a downwelling favourable coast. Depending upon the rate of nitrification the source of the particular organic matter may be local or delivered from the tropics via horizontal advection in a subsurface layer of the LC.