Flux of energy and essential elements through the Continental Shelf ecosystem. Progress report, June 1, 1983-May 31, 1984
The summer of 1981 was one of unusually intense intrusion of cold Gulf Stream subsurface water onto the southeastern continental shelf, not only off northern Florida, where summer intrusions are frequent, but off Georgia as well. Numbers of free bacteria were 10/sup 6//ml over most of the continental shelf throughout the period of observation. These high numbers, an order of magnitude above usual numbers for the outer shelf, were associated with both newly arrived intrusions and old, stranded intrusions. Our third study of the coastal water and coastal front (FRNFLX II) in April 1981 showed that microbial numbers and heterotrophic activity are quite uniformly and continuously high in the coastal water and in water on both sides of the coastal front. Heterotrophic uptake of glucose shows that microorganisms are not substrate limited but probably are limited by protozoan grazers. The populations appear to be in steady state at high rates of production. Numbers of bacteria attached to particles are high in the coastal water compared with the water of the outer shelf, even during periods of Gulf Stream intrusion. 21 references, 11 figures, 2 tables.
- Research Organization:
- Georgia Univ., Athens (USA). Inst. of Ecology
- DOE Contract Number:
- AS09-76EV00639
- OSTI ID:
- 5407127
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/EV/00639-25; ON: DE84004965
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Flux of energy and essential elements through the continental shelf ecosystem. Progress report
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