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The relative roles of coastal and oceanic processes in determining physical and chemical characteristics of an intensively sampled nearshore system
Author(s) -
Pfister Catherine A.,
Wootton J. Timothy,
Neufeld Christopher J.
Publication year - 2007
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.2007.52.5.1767
Subject(s) - upwelling , oceanography , environmental science , chlorophyll a , sea surface temperature , nutrient , nitrate , submarine pipeline , ecosystem , marine ecosystem , ecology , geology , biology , botany
We compared the extent to which offshore and remote‐sensing measurements of sea surface temperature (SST), upwelling, and chlorophyll a (Chl a ) were concordant with in situ measurements of temperature, Chl a , and water nutrients at Tatoosh Island, Washington for the past 8 yr. Offshore SSTs were significantly correlated with water temperatures at Tatoosh, though consistently 2°C to 3°C warmer. Sea‐viewing wide field‐of‐view sensor Chl a estimates were poor predictors of Chl a at Tatoosh Island measured with an anchored fluorometer. Nitrate and phosphorus estimates at Tatoosh Island were positively correlated with an upwelling index and negatively correlated with SST, as would be expected from an upwelling source. In contrast, ammonium and nitrite were uncorrelated with the upwelling index or SST and showed elevated levels immediately adjacent to Tatoosh Island, suggesting strong local effects of marine invertebrates, birds, and mammals on nutrient dynamics and cycling in coastal ecosystems.