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An Evaluation of the Effects of Environmental Variables on Marine Plankton Primary Productivity by Multivariate Regression
Author(s) -
Hameedi M. Jawed
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
internationale revue der gesamten hydrobiologie und hydrographie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.524
H-Index - 52
eISSN - 1522-2632
pISSN - 0020-9309
DOI - 10.1002/iroh.3510610407
Subject(s) - productivity , environmental science , photic zone , plankton , chlorophyll a , regression analysis , salinity , oceanography , linear regression , ecosystem , plume , stepwise regression , multivariate statistics , primary productivity , phytoplankton , nutrient , ecology , statistics , geology , meteorology , geography , mathematics , biology , economics , botany , macroeconomics
Stepwise multiple regression analysis has been used to evaluate the relative importance of environmental variables for primary productivity in oceanic areas off Washington and Oregon, USA. Special emphasis has been placed on the area affected by the Columbia River plume. In the plume, a large proportion of the total variability in primary productivity data is explained by only four variables: chlorophyll a , nitrate, depth of the photic zone, and temperature. In ambient sea water, the significant variables are salinity, temperature, solar radiation of the previous day, vertical stability in the upper 100 m, and phosphate. Analysis of the combined data indicates that, in the spring, primary productivity depends on chlorophyll a concentration alone. The results are explained from the biological and physical points of view. The usefulness of multiple regression analysis for marine ecosystem studies appears to be limited.