Nutrients and the Productivity of Estuarine and Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Nixon, Scott W.; Oviatt, Candace A.; Frithsen, Jeffrey B.; Sullivan, Barbara K.

doi:10.1080/03779688.1986.9639398

Cited by 312 publications

(209 citation statements)

References 77 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

195

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Such relationships appear to be common in estuaries around the world and may arise through a wide variety of mechanisms (Drinkwater & Frank, 1994;Kimmerer, 2002;Alber, 2002). A commonly cited group of mechanisms for positive effects of flow on abundance of estuarine biota is through stimulation of organic input to the estuary by elevated flow, either through advective transport of organic matter or nutrients (Nixon et al, 1986), or through enhanced stratification due to elevated runoff (Cloern, 1984). In the northern, river-dominated SFE, responses of abundance to flow are much stronger for fish than for zooplankton (Kimmerer, 2002).…”

Section: Abundance and Flow Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of freshwater flow and phytoplankton biomass on growth, reproduction, and spatial subsidies of the estuarine copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We examined how freshwater flow and phytoplankton biomass affected abundance and population dynamics of the introduced subtropical copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi in brackish and freshwater regions of the San Francisco Estuary, California, USA. This copepod is key prey for the endangered and food-limited delta smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus, in low-salinity water during summerautumn. Long-term monitoring data showed that P. forbesi was most abundant in fresh water, where summer-autumn abundance was invariant with freshwater flow. Abundance was positively related to freshwater flow in low-salinity water. Reproductive rates in both regions during 2010-2012 were low and unresponsive to chlorophyll or freshwater flow. Development indices, calculated as ratios of laboratory-derived to field-derived stage durations, were lowest for nauplii and highest for late copepodites, but averaged below 0.5 for all stages combined. Development indices were weakly related to chlorophyll for late copepodites only, unrelated to freshwater flow, and slightly higher in low-salinity than fresh water. Thus, the principal mechanism by which flow affects the P. forbesi population is apparently transport of copepods from fresh water to low-salinity water, where copepods are available to delta smelt. This work demonstrates how freshwater flow affects estuarine foodwebs through spatial subsidies of food supply.

show abstract

Section: Abundance and Flow Responsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of freshwater flow and phytoplankton biomass on growth, reproduction, and spatial subsidies of the estuarine copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The well-documented increase in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; primarily nitrate) in groundwater following urbanization [Sewell, 1982;Persky, 1986] is of concern to coastal managers because of the tendency for primary production in saline lagoons and coastal waters to be nitrogen limited [Howarth, 1988;Nixon et al, 1986]. Studies have demonstrated the influx of DIN-contaminated groundwater to coastal bays [Sewell, 1982;Capone and Bautista, 1985;Lewis, 1987;Giblin and Gaines, 1990].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nitrogen loading to coastal bays via groundwater outflow is a topic of much interest throughout the world's coastlines where urban and residential development continues to proliferate [Sewell, 1982;Nixon et al, 1986;Valiela et al, 1990Valiela et al, , 1992. The well-documented increase in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN; primarily nitrate) in groundwater following urbanization [Sewell, 1982;Persky, 1986] is of concern to coastal managers because of the tendency for primary production in saline lagoons and coastal waters to be nitrogen limited [Howarth, 1988;Nixon et al, 1986].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The discharge of nitrate‐contaminated groundwater from developed shoreline to marsh‐fringed estuary

Portnoy¹,

Nowicki²,

Roman³

et al. 1998

Water Resources Research

104

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. As residential development, on-site wastewater disposal, and groundwater contamination increase in the coastal zone, assessment of nutrient removal by soil and sedimentary processes becomes increasingly important. Nitrogen removal efficiency depends largely on the specific flow paths taken by groundwater as it discharges into nitrogen-limited estuarine waters. Shoreline salinity surveys, hydraulic studies, and thermal infrared imagery indicated that groundwater discharge into the Nauset Marsh estuary (Eastham, Massachusetts) occurred in high-velocity seeps immediately seaward of the upland-fringing salt marsh. Discharge was highly variable spatially and occurred through permeable, sandy sediments during low tide. Seepage chamber monitoring showed that dissolved inorganic nitrogen (principally nitrate) traversed nearly conservatively from the aquifer through shallow estuarine sediments to coastal waters at flux rates of 1-3 mmol m -2 h -1. A significant relationship between pore water NO3-N concentrations and NO3-N flux rates may provide a rapid method of estimating nitrogen loading from groundwater to the water column.

show abstract

“…Part of the problem is due to the general availability of nutrientsin estuanes. Whennutnent levels exceed growth-limiting concentrations, short-term rates of phytoplankton growth asmeasured by 14C uptake may appear independent of inorganic nutrient concentration (Nixon et al 1986). Additionally, internal storage and rapid cycling and regeneration of nutrients may obscure a quantitative relationship when ambient nutrient concentration is used as an index of nutrient availability.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimating phytoplankton productivity from light availability and biomass in the MERL mesocosms and Narragansett Bay

Keller¹

1988

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Recent research has suggested that primary productivity in estuanne waters can be predicted as a function of phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll a concentration) multiplied by light avalability in the photic zone (photic depth times incident irradiance). The apphcability of this function was confirmed using data from 1010 I4C incubations (during 1978 to 1984) from 4 diverse mesocosm experiments and Narragansett Bay. For each experiment 70 to 80 % of the variation in productivity was explained by the composite function. A regression equation developed from all experiments explained 82 % of the variation in primary productivity and was not statistically different from a previously reported equation based on comparable data from 4 estuarine regions (North and South San Francisco Bay, Puget Sound, and New York Bight). Phytoplankton production was correlated with biomass alone on a seasonal basis (summer, r = 0.87; non-summer, r = 0.77), with chlorophyll-specific productivity higher during summer (June to September) than non-summer (October to May). The decline in the slope of the relation between production and biomass during non-summer periods corresponded to the seasonal switch from summer dominance by nanoplankton (primarily flagellates) to non-summer dominance by net plankton (primarily diatoms) and coincided with decreased light availability in the photic zone. Annual productivity was also highly correlated with the mean annual product of chlorophyll a, photic depth and incident light ( r = 0.96).

show abstract

Nutrients and the Productivity of Estuarine and Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Cited by 312 publications

References 77 publications

Effects of freshwater flow and phytoplankton biomass on growth, reproduction, and spatial subsidies of the estuarine copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi

Effects of freshwater flow and phytoplankton biomass on growth, reproduction, and spatial subsidies of the estuarine copepod Pseudodiaptomus forbesi

The discharge of nitrate‐contaminated groundwater from developed shoreline to marsh‐fringed estuary

Estimating phytoplankton productivity from light availability and biomass in the MERL mesocosms and Narragansett Bay

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About