Satellite observations of a nutrient upwelling off the coast of California

Traganza, Eugene D.; Nestor, D. A.; McDonald, Alyson K.

doi:10.1029/jc085ic07p04101

Cited by 49 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…These structures transport cold upwelled water from the shelf into the ocean, and their return flow introduces warm offshore waters to the nearshore zone (Mooers & Robinson 1984). Nutrient distributions and plankton biomass and production are also affected (Traganza et al 1980, Abbott & Zion 1985, Abbott et al 1990, Hood et al 1991. Most observations have led to speculation that filaments act as vehicles to link rich shelf waters with open ocean oligotrophic waters (Mooers & Robinson 1984, Rienecker et al 1985.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesoscale variability in phytoplankton biomass distribution and photosynthetic parameters in the Canary-NW African coastal transition zone

Basterretxea¹,

Arı́stegui²

2000

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pigment distribution and photosynthesis versus irradiance (P-E) responses in the mixed layer (ML) and in the chlorophyll maximum (CM) were examined in the coastal transition zone (CTZ) between the NW African coastal upwelling and the Canary Islands during August 1993. The sampling included 2 island-generated eddies in the lee of the archipelago and an upwelling fllament from the African continental shelf, entrained around a cyclonic eddy about 100 km width. Chlorophyll a and P-E parameters (a, P,) showed regional differences reflecting changes in the water column structure and phytoplankton species composition. The deep CM shoaled from -100 to -10 m as the African shelf was approached, and there was a d e a r offshore-onshore transition in the vertically integrated chlorophyll distribution and P-E responses related to the upwelling front. CM oceanic samples presented high a (0.020 to 0.042 mg C mg-' chl h-' [ p 0 1 m-' S-']-') and photoinhibition, indicating adaptation to low irradiance. Differences between CM and ML in P-E responses decreased in the vicinity of the upwelling until they eventually became indistinguishable in a well-mixed station on the continental shelf. Island-generated e d d e s affected mainly the productivity and chlorophyll bstributions at the deep CM. Nutrient input in the eddy center resulted in an increase of a in the CM to the level of the upwelling samples (-0.053 mg C mg-' chl h-' [pmol m-' S-']-'). On the basis of the mesoscale variability in the physical structure of the water column and the vertical distribution of chlorophyll, the CTZ was divided into 4 subregions with characteristic photosynthetic parameters. Average integrated production in these areas varied from -100 mg C m-' d-' in the most oligotrophic subregion to more than 5000 mg C m" d-' in the upwelling zone. The range of variation in the photosynthetic parameters in this CTZ was of the same magnitude as ranges observed in bas~n-scale studies of the Atlantic. Integrated production estimates are also in the lower and higher extremes of the observed values in the ocean. Our results highlight the importance of addressing the variability of the photosynthetic parameters in coastal upwelling-open ocean transition zones in order to model primary production at regional scales.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mesoscale variability in phytoplankton biomass distribution and photosynthetic parameters in the Canary-NW African coastal transition zone

Basterretxea¹,

Arı́stegui²

2000

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Traganza and his students have studied the eddies of the California upwelling (2)(3). His system allows continuous chlorophyll a and temperature measurements.…”

Section: Recent Progress In Upper Ocean Chemistrymentioning

confidence: 99%

New Problems for Chemical Oceanographers

Green

1985

Mapping Strategies in Chemical Oceanography

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

WILLIAM DITTMAR PUBLISHED HIS RESULTS FROM THE FIRST 2 years of the H.M.S. Challenger expedition almost 100 years ago (I). His results demonstrated that, to a very good first approximation, seawater could be considered a two-component system (water and sea salt). Consequently, 99.5% (by weight) of all the chemical components of seawater became relatively uninteresting to water-column chemists. However, 80 of the elements of the periodic table could be found in the remaining 0.5%. Consequently, marine chemists have tended to concentrate on the minor and trace components of seawater because the interesting variations occur in them; that is, they reveal information about the processes and mechanisms that influence the chemistry of seawater. Chemical oceanographers, as all scientists do when their field of study matures, naturally progress from the survey mode to process-oriented investigations, from correlations of observations to hypotheses of mechanisms, and from the general understanding of the chemistry of seawater to highly specialized and focused interests. Evolution of Chemical OceanographyChemical oceanography has evolved from the study of the major elements to the investigation of minor components-the nutrients, silica, and dissolved oxygen-then on to radiotracers, trace metals, organics, and bio-

show abstract

“…The relatively lowar temperatures are evident in IR images of the region (Johnson, 1980;Nestor, 1979). Accompanying this decrease in temperature is an incraase in surface salinity, an upwelling property unique to the regime off the west coast of North America (Smith, 1963 by Traganza (1979).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of infrared (IR) imagery in the detection and description of upwelling was examined by both Johnson (1980) and Nestor (1979). (Sverdrup, et al, 1942 miles inland (Smith, 1968 (Hickey, 1979 Gyre, which is centered near the Hawaiian Islands (Sverdrup, et al, 1942;Chelton and Davis, 1982).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial structures of optical parameters in the California current, as measured with the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner

McMurtrie¹

1984

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Satellite observations of a nutrient upwelling off the coast of California

Cited by 49 publications

References 4 publications

Mesoscale variability in phytoplankton biomass distribution and photosynthetic parameters in the Canary-NW African coastal transition zone

Mesoscale variability in phytoplankton biomass distribution and photosynthetic parameters in the Canary-NW African coastal transition zone

New Problems for Chemical Oceanographers

Spatial structures of optical parameters in the California current, as measured with the Nimbus-7 Coastal Zone Color Scanner

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About