Role of nutrient recycling in upwelling ecosystems

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1979

OSTI ID:5505495

Whitledge, T E

The regeneration of nitrogen is an important process that increases the efficiency of the upwelling ecosystem by enlarging their spatial scales. Ammonium regeneration was considered to contribute 42 to 72 percent of phytoplankton nitrogen requirements in the northwest Africa, Peru, and Baja California upwelling systems. Zooplankton are responsible for the largest portion of regenerated nitrogen; however, fish and benthic sediments may be nearly as large. Comparisons of the importance of ammonium regeneration in upwelling areas with coastal and open ocean regions indicate that the percentage contributions are similar. Future nutrient regeneration studies are needed to assess the recycling of benthic sediments, microzooplankton, gelatinous zooplankton, demersal fish, bacterioplankton, and mollusks.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-C-02-0016
• OSTI ID: 5505495
• Report Number(s): BNL-27333; CONF-7910131-1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520100* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AMIDES
AMMONIA
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
AUFWUCHS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
CARBONIC ACID DERIVATIVES
COASTAL REGIONS
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
DATA FORMS
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
FISHES
FLUIDS
GRAPHS
HYDRIDES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN HYDRIDES
NONMETALS
NUTRIENTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN
PHYTOPLANKTON
PLANKTON
RECYCLING
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
TABLES
UPWELLING
UREA
VERTEBRATES
ZOOPLANKTON