| SS9.01 Ecosystem Science Practiced in an Urbanized Estuary: South San Francisco Bay |
| May, C, L, Stanford University, Stanford, USA, kmay@stanford.edu |
| Koseff, J, R, Stanford University, Stanford, USA, koseff@stanford.edu |
| Lucas, L, V, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, USA, llucas@usgs.gov |
| Cloern, J, E, U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, USA, jecloern@usgs.gov |
| Schoellhamer, D, H, U.S. Geological Survey, Sacremento, USA, dschoell@usgs.gov |
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| MODELING AND FIELD OBSERVATIONS OF ALGAL BLOOMS IN SSFB, 2: SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIABILITY IN LIGHT |
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| Spatial and temporal variability in light availability can help explain year-to-year variability in primary production. In 1990, a relatively large bloom (primary production of 67 g C m-2) occurred in South San Francisco Bay, but in 1991 a small bloom quickly terminated after a high wind event, resulting in primary productivity of only 18 g C m-2. These events motivated us to build into our evolving conceptual and numerical models of estuarine bloom dynamics explicit consideration of the wind, and its influence on the spatial and temporal variability of light in the estuary, and on the physical system that defines the growth habitat for phytoplankton in shallow coastal ecosystems. We specifically explored the processes influencing turbidity in the system, and in particular, the shoals. We propose that spatio-temporal variability in turbidity (and thus light availability) can be expressed as two indices for vertical and horizontal clearing of the shoal water column. These indices incorporate estuarine geometry (i.e. fetch, depth, width) and the interaction of processes operating over a range of timescales (i.e. wind, tides, sediment sinking, horizontal transport). |
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