Control of Phytoplankton Biomass in Estuaries: A Comparative Analysis of Microtidal and Macrotidal Estuaries

Monbet, Yves

doi:10.2307/1352398

Cited by 289 publications

(156 citation statements)

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“…In the absence of seasonal or permanent water stratification, the decoupling between production and degradation of organic matter at and below the surface, respectively, does not occur, resulting in less efficient export of DIC (Borges, 2005). Strongly tidal estuaries also tend to exhibit lower levels of photosynthetic activity (Monbet, 1992) and carry greater suspended particulate matter loads within their highturbidity regions (Uncles et al, 2002;Middelburg and Herman, 2007) wherein suspended particles and organic-rich aggregates serve as hot spots of microbial recycling (Statham, 2012). Field measurements suggest that 10 % of the total CO 2 emissions from the inner estuary of macrotidal systems is sustained by the ventilation of riverine CO 2 , whereas 90 % is due to local net heterotrophy (Borges et al, 2006) fueled by inputs of terrestrial-and riverine-algae-derived (planktonic) detritus and, in populated areas, sewage (Chen and Borges, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The large-scale (width often considerably greater than the internal Rossby radius; Cyr et al, 2015), macrotidal (mean tidal range greater than 2-4 m; Monbet, 1992) St. Lawrence Estuary is an excellent analogue of marine-dominated systems. Throughout its length, the full spectrum of oceanic variability can be found (Mertz and Gratton, 1990).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Spatial variability in surface-water pCO2 and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)

Dinauer

Mucci

2017

Biogeosciences

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Abstract. The incomplete spatial coverage of CO 2 partial pressure (pCO 2 ) measurements across estuary types represents a significant knowledge gap in current regional-and global-scale estimates of estuarine CO 2 emissions. Given the limited research on CO 2 dynamics in large estuaries and bay systems, as well as the sources of error in the calculation of pCO 2 (carbonic acid dissociation constants, organic alkalinity), estimates of air-sea CO 2 fluxes in estuaries are subject to large uncertainties. The Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence (EGSL) at the lower limit of the subarctic region in eastern Canada is the world's largest estuarine system, and is characterized by an exceptional richness in environmental diversity. It is among the world's most intensively studied estuaries, yet there are no published data on its surface-water pCO 2 distribution. To fill this data gap, a comprehensive dataset was compiled from direct and indirect measurements of carbonate system parameters in the surface waters of the EGSL during the spring or summer of 2003-2016. The calculated surface-water pCO 2 ranged from 435 to 765 µatm in the shallow partially mixed upper estuary, 139-578 µatm in the deep stratified lower estuary, and 207-478 µatm along the Laurentian Channel in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Overall, at the time of sampling, the St. Lawrence Estuary served as a very weak source of CO 2 to the atmosphere, with an area-averaged CO 2 degassing flux of 0.98 to 2.02 mmol C m −2 d −1 (0.36 to 0.74 mol C m −2 yr −1 ). A preliminary analysis revealed that respiration (upper estuary), photosynthesis (lower estuary), and temperature (Gulf of St. Lawrence) controlled the spatial variability in surface-water pCO 2 . Whereas we used the dissociation constants of Cai and Wang (1998)

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial variability in surface-water pCO2 and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)

Dinauer

Mucci

2017

Biogeosciences

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“…The most prominent symptoms of this eutrophication are oxygen depletion in bottom waters and harmful algal blooms (Richardson and Jorgensen 1996). Although severe nutrient enrichment is seen in many urbanized estuaries, those eutrophication symptoms are not found in some estuaries (e.g., Alpine and Cloern 1992;Monbet 1992;Le Pape et al 1996). A partial explanation is that the balance of competing limitation by light and nutrients is different in each estuary (Cloern 1999).…”

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confidence: 99%

Phytoplankton response to nutrient enrichment in an urbanized estuary: Apparent inhibition of primary production by overeutrophication

Yoshiyama

Sharp

2006

Limnology & Oceanography

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Phytoplankton response to nutrients was examined with a 26-yr database from the Delaware Estuary. Biomassnormalized primary production did not increase linearly with increasing nutrient concentrations and instead showed saturation at comparatively low nutrient concentrations and decreased at high concentrations. To separate the effects of light availability and temperature on primary production from those of other environmental variables, we developed an empirical model of areal primary production. The model equation was obtained for the entire dataset and the effect of the residual variables was expressed as correction factors of observed primary production to the model estimates. The model accounted for 67% of variability of observed primary production overall, indicating that production of the estuary was mainly controlled by light availability and temperature. In contrast, a similar model applied to a Chesapeake Bay database had shown a poorer fit, indicating consistent light limitation in the Delaware Estuary and varying strengths of light and nutrient limitation in the Chesapeake Bay. The relationships between nutrients and correction factors for the Delaware Estuary showed that the model underestimates primary production at low and mid nutrient concentrations and overestimates it at high concentrations. The model fit and correction factors for five regions of the estuary indicate a high-nutrient, low-growth situation in the Delaware Estuary because of varying influences of light limitation, proportions of nutrients, and probably toxic contaminants in areas with large anthropogenic inputs-including high nutrients.Much of the classical thinking about eutrophication has arisen from lake studies. In lake systems, a relatively simple model appeared to successfully describe phytoplankton response to the effect of a single limiting nutrient, phosphate (Hutchinson 1969). In estuaries, early evaluation of eutrophication was made by Ketchum (1969) and was popularized by Jaworski in the Potomac River (Jaworski et al. 1972). During the evolution of conceptual models of estuarine eutrophication, cautions about oversimplification of this problem have been made for a number of years (e.g., Schindler 1981;Nixon and Pilson 1983;Vollenweider et al. 1992). However, there is still a tendency to think of eutrophication in estuarine waters in terms of a simple linear response to a single limiting nutrient: what Cloern (2001) has described as a Phase I model. To construct more complex models, Cloern addresses system-specific responses; complex ge-1 Corresponding author (kyoshi@udel.edu). AcknowledgmentsNumerous graduate students, research associates, and postdoctoral researchers, as well as many undergraduate and high school student volunteers, have assisted over the years; we thank all of them for their contributions. We also thank James E. Cloern and two anonymous reviewers for their useful comments on the manuscript.

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“…Common primary symptoms of enriched nutrient concentrations leading to eutrophication in estuarine systems include an increase in chlorophyll a, macroalgae, submerged aquatic vegetation, and nuisance/ toxic algal blooms coincident with decreased dissolved oxygen concentrations (Boesch et al 2001;Diaz and Rosenberg 2008;Bricker et al 2008). Conceptual models of eutrophication processes in coastal systems now include a dynamic understanding that nutrient enrichment can also force selective changes in biological diversity and biogeochemical processes throughout coastal food webs that vary in their expression with tidal amplitude, water depth, water stratification, and water residence times among other parameters (Monbet 1992;Valiela et al 1997Valiela et al , 2000Cloern 1999Cloern , 2001Oberg 2005;McGlathery et al 2007;Cloern and Jassby 2008;Duarte et al 2009). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Signatures of Restoration and Management Changes in the Water Quality of a Central California Estuary

Gee

Wasson

Shaw

et al. 2010

Estuaries and Coasts

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Coastal managers and policy-makers are concerned with tracking improvements to water quality linked to management changes. Long-term water quality data acquired from two wetland areas in the upper reaches of the Elkhorn Slough estuary in central California were analyzed for signatures of land restoration or water control structure management. Post-restoration averaged NO 3 , NH 3 , and PO 4 concentrations were 50-70% less than before-restoration concentrations. Assessment of watershed-scale effects revealed that proximity of restoration to sampling locations had almost as strong an effect on water quality as the percentage of land restored relative to watershed size. Results also suggest that restoration of even 1% of an agriculturally intensive watershed such as that of the Elkhorn Slough may result in improvements to water quality. Finally, results indicate that tide gate function can dominate water quality in managed wetlands and must be carefully tracked and managed in the context of estuarine conservation targets.

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Control of Phytoplankton Biomass in Estuaries: A Comparative Analysis of Microtidal and Macrotidal Estuaries

Cited by 289 publications

References 50 publications

Spatial variability in surface-water <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)

Spatial variability in surface-water <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)

Phytoplankton response to nutrient enrichment in an urbanized estuary: Apparent inhibition of primary production by overeutrophication

Signatures of Restoration and Management Changes in the Water Quality of a Central California Estuary

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Control of Phytoplankton Biomass in Estuaries: A Comparative Analysis of Microtidal and Macrotidal Estuaries

Cited by 289 publications

References 50 publications

Spatial variability in surface-water &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)

Spatial variability in surface-water &lt;i&gt;p&lt;/i&gt;CO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt; and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)

Phytoplankton response to nutrient enrichment in an urbanized estuary: Apparent inhibition of primary production by overeutrophication

Signatures of Restoration and Management Changes in the Water Quality of a Central California Estuary

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Product

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Spatial variability in surface-water <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)

Spatial variability in surface-water <i>p</i>CO<sub>2</sub> and gas exchange in the world's largest semi-enclosed estuarine system: St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada)