Historic 2005 toxic bloom of Alexandrium fundyense in the west Gulf of Maine : 1. In situ observations of coastal hydrography and circulation

Abstract

An extensive Alexandrium fundyense bloom occurred along the coast of the Gulf of Maine in late spring and early summer 2005. To understand the physical aspects of bloom's initiation and development, in situ observations from both a coast-wide ship survey and the coastal observing network were used to characterize coastal circulation and hydrography during that time period. Comparisons between these in situ observations and their respective long-term means revealed anomalous ocean conditions during May 2005: waters were warmer and fresher coast-wide owing to more surface heating and river runoff; coastal currents were at least 2 times stronger than their climatological means. Surface winds were also anomalous in the form of both episodic bursts of northeast winds and a downwelling-favorable mean condition. These factors may have favored more vigorous along-shore transport and nearshore aggregation of toxic A. fundyense cells (a red tide) in 2005.