Flux of energy and essential elements through the continental shelf ecosystem. Progress report, May 31, 1980-May 31, 1981

Technical Report · Sun Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6566618· OSTI ID:6566618

Pomeroy, L R

There are three distinct areas of research reported, studies of intrusions of the west wall of the Gulf Stream onto the outer continental shelf, studies of the flux of materials across near-shore density fronts, and advances in the understanding of the planktonic food web of the continental shelf. Studies of frontal events on the outer and inner continental shelf involve distinctive physical and chemical regimes and have proven to required distinctive biological approaches. A simulation model of the flux of energy through the continental shelf food web was developed. It represents realistically both details of the energy transfers within the plankton community and the termanal production of fishes. It was discovered that the fecal ribbons of pelagic tunicates break up into flocculent material visually and chemically identical with the flocculent organic aggregates present in sea water. Subsequent experimental work with tunicate fecal matter indicates that some of the naturally occurring aggregates are indeed fecal. This makes it possible to understand and quantify for the first time the production and fate of that population of seston. An examination was made of several of the many roles of dissolved organic compounds in sea water which originate either from release by phytoplankton, digestive processes or metabolites of zooplankton, or extracellular digestion of microorganisms.

• Research Organization: Georgia Univ., Athens (USA). Inst. of Ecology
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• DOE Contract Number: AS09-76EV00639
• OSTI ID: 6566618
• Report Number(s): DOE/EV/00639-22
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

520100* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ATP
BACTERIA
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOLOGICAL WASTES
CHELATES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPLEXES
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CONTINENTAL SHELF
COPPER
CURRENTS
DIGESTION
ECOSYSTEMS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
FECES
FOOD CHAINS
GULF STREAM
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MASS TRANSFER
MATERIALS
METABOLISM
METALS
MICROORGANISMS
MINERAL CYCLING
MIXING
NUCLEOTIDES
NUTRIENTS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PHYTOPLANKTON
PLANKTON
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SEAWATER
SYNTHESIS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
WASTES
WATER
WATER CURRENTS
ZOOPLANKTON