Western Maine Coastal Current reduces primary production rates, zooplankton abundance and benthic nutrient fluxes in Massachusetts Bay

Date
2013-08Author
McManus, M. Conor
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Oviatt, Candace A.
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Giblin, Anne E.
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Tucker, Jane
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Turner, Jefferson T.
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https://hdl.handle.net/1912/6391As published
https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst195Keyword
Boston Harbor; Massachusetts Bay; Merrimack River; North Atlantic Oscillation; Primary production; Western Maine Coastal Current; Wind stressAbstract
Primary production was measured from 1992-2010 in Massachusetts Bay
and just outside Boston Harbor for the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s
outfall monitoring program. In 2003, annual primary production decreased by 221-278
g C m-2 year-1, with decreased rates continuing through 2010. Based on a conceptual
model, oceanographic and meteorological variables were analyzed with production
rates to determine if concurrent environmental changes were responsible for the
reduced primary production in Massachusetts Bay. Results indicated that stronger
influx of low salinity water from the western Maine Coastal Current (WMCC) in
recent years might be responsible for the decreases. The WMCC appeared to have
become fresher from increased river discharge in the western Gulf of Maine.
Northeasterly winds in recent years promoted WMCC intrusion into Massachusetts
Bay. Correlation between primary production and surface salinities suggested the
impact of the WMCC on production rates. We hypothesized that increased
stratification resulted in reduced vertical mixing and nutrient concentrations in surface
waters for phytoplankton growth. However, no significant correlations were observed
between the annual primary production and nutrient concentrations in Massachusetts
Bay. Reduced production rates in Massachusetts Bay have been associated with
reduced zooplankton abundances, benthic ammonium fluxes and sediment oxygen
demand in summer months.
Description
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2013. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Oxford University Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in ICES Journal of Marine Science 71 (2014): 1158-1169, doi:10.1093/icesjms/fst195.
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Suggested Citation
Preprint: McManus, M. Conor, Oviatt, Candace A., Giblin, Anne E., Tucker, Jane, Turner, Jefferson T., "Western Maine Coastal Current reduces primary production rates, zooplankton abundance and benthic nutrient fluxes in Massachusetts Bay", 2013-08, https://doi.org/10.1093/icesjms/fst195, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/6391Related items
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