MAJOR RIVER PLUMES IN THE TROPICAL OCEAN: PHYSICAL AND BIOGEOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION

Conference · Sun Mar 02 04:00:00 EST 2008

OSTI ID:946069

Morell, J M ^[1]; Lopez,, J E; Brocco, J M,; Fuentes, B; Antoun, D; Lopez, H; Cabrera, R; Mendez, A

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1. UPRM - Corredor,; UPRM - Department of Marine Sciences, Mayaguez PR 00680

The Caribbean and Western Tropical Atlantic receive massive inputs of Orinoco and Amazon River water carrying a load of organic and inorganic materials into waters characteristically devoid of these. The magnitude of riverine impact became evident as remote sensing became an ocean color monitoring tool. These observations depict riverine plumes, containing dissolved organic matter and phytoplankton well above background concentrations, being advected into the oligotrophic ocean. Subsequent research revealed that riverine intrusions radically modulate trophic balance and activity through changes in plankton abundance, composition and size distribution and last but not least: availability of solar irradiance. Moreover, riverine influence responds to climate processes and oceanic mesoscale processes bringing about significant spatial and temporal variability at annual and interannual scales. We discuss observations of physical and biogeochemical gradients in the Orinoco River Plume in the above context.

• Research Organization: University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: FG02-05ER64029
• OSTI ID: 946069
• Report Number(s): FG02-05ER64029-5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
RIVER PLUMES TROPICAL OCEANS BIOGEOCHEMICAL EXPRESSION