Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

PC16 Microbial Dynamics

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001

Location: Southwest Hall

Choi, K, H, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, USA, kchoi@odu.edu

Richardson, J, P, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, USA,

Williams, J, P, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, USA,

Valle-Levinson, A, , Old Dominion University/Center for Coastal Physical Oceanography, Norfolk, USA, arnoldo@ccpo.odu.edu

Dobbs, F, C, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, USA, fdobbs@odu.edu

Diel Variation of Bacterioplankton in the Lower Chesapeake Bay: An Eulerian Study

To examine in detail the scale of short-term temporal variation in bacterioplankton abundance and production, we performed an Eulerian study and collected surface and bottom (9m deep) water samples over 25-h (two tidal cycles) in October 1999 from a pier on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. There were significant fluctuations of both physical and bacterial measures (CV of all measures ranged from 1% to 140%). Statistical and graphical examination of data revealed several emergent features. None of the bacterial measures was significantly correlated to temperature. In the surface water, all bacterial measures were positively correlated with tidal height, but the sense of the correlations was reversed in the bottom water. This result was due in part to a time lag exhibited by bacterioplankton properties in the bottom water. We conclude tidally driven processes may contribute to regulation of bacterial dynamics in the short term (order of tens of hours).

This Session Listing

Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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