Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

PC14 Estuarine, Near-shore, and Continental Shelf Processes

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001

Location: Southwest Hall

Hogue, V, E, Romberg Tiburon Center, SFSU, Tiburon, USA, vhogue@sfsu.edu

Lassiter, A, M, Romberg Tiburon Center, SFSU, Tiburon, USA, amlassiter@yahoo.com

Marchi, A, , Romberg Tiburon Center, SFSU, Tiburon, USA, amarchi@sfsu.edu

Wilkerson, F, P, Romberg Tiburon Center, SFSU, Tiburon, USA, fwilkers@sfsu.edu

Dugdale, R, D, Romberg Tiburon Center, SFSU, Tiburon, USA, rdugdale@sfsu.edu

PHYTOPLANKTON AND NUTRIENT DYNAMICS IN THE NORTH AND CENTRAL SAN FRANCISCO BAY (SUISUN, SAN PABLO AND CENTRAL BAYS)

As part of an EPA-funded project to devise indicators of ecosystem condition, monthly cruises starting in October 1999 are currently being conducted to monitor for conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD), light penetration, nutrients (nitrate, silicate, ammonium, and phosphate), and nitrogen assimilation. Phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll-a) is also measured both for the entire phytoplankton community as well as phytoplankton cells greater than 5µm and 10µm in diameter. An increase in phytoplankton biomass was observed in the spring of 2000 at all three locations and was sampled weekly. Data indicate that nutrients decrease and light penetration increases in a seaward direction. Suisun tends to have the lowest total chlorophyll-a concentrations with the exception of the spring bloom. When chlorophyll-a concentrations are high, the phytoplankton population is typically dominated by larger cells (>5µm or 10µm). The dynamics of the phytoplankton blooms that occur in these regions in the San Francisco Bay will be discussed.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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