Premium
A Diel Method of Estimating Gross Primary Production: 2. Application to 7 Years of Near‐Surface Dissolved Oxygen Data in Chesapeake Bay
Author(s) -
Scully Malcolm E.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1029/2018jc014179
Subject(s) - bay , estuary , environmental science , turbidity , diel vertical migration , buoy , primary production , chesapeake bay , oceanography , phytoplankton , hydrology (agriculture) , thermocline , discharge , nutrient , atmospheric sciences , geology , ecosystem , ecology , geography , geotechnical engineering , biology , drainage basin , cartography
A diel method for estimating gross primary production (GPP) is applied to nearly continuous measurements of near‐surface dissolved oxygen collected at seven locations throughout the main stem of Chesapeake Bay. The data were collected through the Chesapeake Bay Interpretive Buoy System and span the period 2010–2016. At all locations, GPP exhibits pronounced seasonal variability consistent temperature‐dependent phytoplankton growth. At the Susquehanna Buoy, which is located within the estuarine turbidity maximum, rates of GPP are negatively correlated with uncalibrated turbidity data consistent with light limitation at this location. The highest rates of GPP are located immediately down Bay from the estuarine turbidity maximum and decrease moving seaward consistent with nutrient limitation. Rates of GPP at the mouth (First Landing Buoy) are roughly a factor of 3 lower than the rates in the upper Bay (Patapsco). At interannual time scales, the summer (June–July) rate of GPP averaged over all stations is positively correlated ( r 2 = 0.62) with the March Susquehanna River discharge and a multiple regression model that includes spring river discharge, and summer water temperature can explain most ( r 2 = 0.88) of the interannual variance in the observed rate of GPP. The correlation with river discharge is consistent with an increase in productivity fueled by increased nutrient loading. More generally, the spatial and temporal patterns inferred using this method are consistent with our current understanding of primary production in the Bay, demonstrating the potential this method has for making highly resolved measurements in less well studied estuarine systems.