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In situ and laboratory measurements on macroscopic aggregates in Monterey Bay, California 1
Author(s) -
Rent Jonathan D.,
Shanks Alan L.,
Silver Mary Wilcox
Publication year - 1978
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1978.23.4.0626
Subject(s) - bay , chlorophyll a , pelagic zone , oceanography , environmental science , chlorophyll , in situ , geology , chemistry , biology , botany , organic chemistry
The size, distribution, chlorophyll a , and pheopigment content of macroscopic aggregates (marine snow) from the upper 20 m of Monterey Bay, California, are reported. These large particles are not collected intact by traditional oceanographic sampling techniques. In situ SCUBA observations indicated lengths up to 9 cm and concentrations of 2 to 28 aggregates per liter. Aggregates were hand‐collected for laboratory analyses of chlorophyll a and pheopigments. The concentrations of both were significantly higher in aggregates than in the surrounding water. The ratio of pigment concentrations in aggregates to that in the surrounding water ranged from a factor of 4 to 750 for chlorophyll a and from 13 to 5,564 for pheopigments. The aggregates contained up to 8.0% of the total chlorophyll a and up to 64.2% of the total pheopigments in the study area. Underwater observations over 3 years indicate that aggregates are frequently present in the surface waters of Monterey Bay and initial quantitative studies suggest their potential ecological significance as microhabitats and pelagic food sources.