Pulsed phytoplankton supply to the rocky subtidal zone: influence of internal waves

Hydrographic measurements indicate that the thermocline and the phytoplankton-rich chlorophyll maximum layer are vertically displaced over a rocky pinnacle in the central Gulf of Maine by internal waves with maximum amplitudes of 27 m. Such predictable downwelling events are linked to rapid, 2- to 3...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1993-03, Vol.90 (5), p.1686-1690
Main Authors: Witman, J.D. (Northeastern University, Nahant, MA), Leichter, J.J, Genovese, S.J, Brooks, D.A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Amplitude
BENTHOS
BENTOS
Cash
CHLOROPHYLLE
Chlorophylls
CLOROFILAS
COMPORTEMENT ALIMENTAIRE
COSTA
COTES
ECOLOGIA MARINA
ECOLOGIE MARINE
Ecology
FITOPLANCTON
Floods
HABITOS ALIMENTARIOS
Internal waves
INVERTEBRADOS
INVERTEBRE
LARVAS
LARVE
MAINE
Marine
Oceanography
PHYTOPLANCTON
Phytoplankton
Plankton
Sea level
TEMPERATURA
TEMPERATURE
Thermistors
Thermoclines
Tidal waves
Tides
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Summary:Hydrographic measurements indicate that the thermocline and the phytoplankton-rich chlorophyll maximum layer are vertically displaced over a rocky pinnacle in the central Gulf of Maine by internal waves with maximum amplitudes of 27 m. Such predictable downwelling events are linked to rapid, 2- to 3-fold increases in chlorophyll a, an indicator of phytoplankton concentration, in pulses of warm water recorded 4 cm above the bottom (29-m depth). The 1.5-5.6 degrees C temperature fluctuations had an average period of 10.6 min and were generated on both ebb and flood tides. Local lee waves and the arrival of solitons propagated from Georges Bank are hypothesized to explain the timing of the internal waves. Because internal waves and chlorophyll maxima are pervasive features of stratified temperate seas, this mechanism of food coupling should be common in other rocky subtidal habitats
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.90.5.1686