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Optical gradients and phytoplankton production in the Mackenzie River and the coastal Beaufort Sea

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Abstract

We sampled a 300-km transect along the Mackenzie River and its associated coastal shelf system (western Canadian Arctic) in July–August of 2004 to evaluate the gradients in optical, phytoplankton and photosynthetic characteristics. The attenuation of photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) was best explained by coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and turbidity (non-algal particles), while UV attenuation correlated most strongly with CDOM. Bacillariophyceae and Chlorophyceae dominated in the river, and shifted to Cryptophyceae and Prasinophyceae in the estuarine transition zone. In the coastal shelf waters, picoplanktonic cells dominated the surface autotrophic communities while both large and small cells occurred in the deep chlorophyll maximum. High PAR attenuation reduced the integral primary production rate in the river, while at an offshore marine site, 55% of integral production was at or below the pycnocline, under low PAR. Climate change is likely to increase the sediment and CDOM loading to these waters, which would exacerbate light limitation of photosynthesis throughout the system.

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Acknowledgments

This study was undertaken within ARDEX (Arctic River Delta Experiment), a satellite program of CASES (Canada Arctic Shelf Exchange Study), funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Canada Research Chair program. Financial support was also provided by the Fonds québécois de recherche sur la nature et les technologies and by the Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. We thank Craig Emmerton and Lance Lesack for discussions and for the use of their unpublished nutrient data. We thank Milla Ratio for field support, Marie-Josée Martineau for HPLC technical assistance, and Christine Martineau for her laboratory support. We thank the officers and crew of CCGS Nahidik and our colleagues on the ARDEX program. We also thank the three anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments and suggestions.

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  1. Leira Retamal

    Present address: Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique Eau, Terre et Environnement, Quebec City, QC, Canada, G1K 9P9

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre d’Études Nordiques & Département de Biologie, Laval University, Quebec City, QC, Canada, G1K 7P4

    Leira Retamal & Warwick F. Vincent

  2. Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, 11400, Uruguay

    Sylvia Bonilla

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  1. Leira Retamal
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Correspondence to Leira Retamal.

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Retamal, L., Bonilla, S. & Vincent, W.F. Optical gradients and phytoplankton production in the Mackenzie River and the coastal Beaufort Sea. Polar Biol 31, 363–379 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0365-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0365-0

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