Multiple trophic levels fueled by recirculation in the Columbia River plume

Large rivers represent gateways for the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic material to the coastal ocean. Here we document a ∼700 km2 recirculation or bulge associated with the Columbia River plume that retains recently discharged river water sufficiently to create a regional bioreactor. Fue...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2010-09, Vol.37 (18), p.n/a
Main Authors: Kudela, Raphael M., Horner-Devine, Alexander R., Banas, Neil S., Hickey, Barbara M., Peterson, Tawnya D., McCabe, Ryan M., Lessard, Evelyn J., Frame, Elizabeth, Bruland, Kenneth W., Jay, David A., Peterson, Jay O., Peterson, William T., Kosro, P. Michael, Palacios, Sherry L., Lohan, Maeve C., Dever, Edward P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anthropogenic factors
Biological oceanography
Bioreactors
Chemical oceanography
coastal productivity
Columbia River
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Exact sciences and technology
Geobiology
Physical oceanography
recirculation
River mouth
River plumes
Rivers
Surface water
Trophic levels
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Summary:Large rivers represent gateways for the transport of terrigenous and anthropogenic material to the coastal ocean. Here we document a ∼700 km2 recirculation or bulge associated with the Columbia River plume that retains recently discharged river water sufficiently to create a regional bioreactor. Fueled by a fluvial nitrate source, this feature stimulated growth across three trophic levels and may buffer this gateway system during periods of increased warming and stratification that lead to decreased ocean productivity, potentially enhancing production at multiple trophic levels and enriching surface waters far from the river mouth.
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1029/2010GL044342