A Field Study of Surface Nutrient Enrichment in the California Current
Abstract
My goal is to use the phenomenon of surface enrichment of inorganic nutrients to better understand the cycling of nutrients and materials and physical mixing history of the surface layers of the ocean. Surface nutrient enrichment (SNE), a subtle and relatively infrequent increase of phosphate, silicate, nitrate and nitrite in the surface layer of the ocean, was first described by Haury et al. (1994) from historical data. The poor spatial, temporal, and analytical resolution of the data made it difficult to accurately describe and explain the features. The fall 1996 survey cruise of the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) formed the foundation of a field program to better describe the spatial and temporal (diel) variability in SNE. The routine CalCOFI observations provided the environmental context within which the measurements of surface enrichment were made. Ancillary programs provided additional contextual data (e.g. optics, phytoplankton pigments, and nutrient dynamics). The work provides the better descriptive understanding of surface nutrient enrichment needed to formulate rational hypotheses on its formation and ecological significance.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA535403
Entities
People
- Loren R. Haury
Organizations
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography