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Past and Present Water Column Anoxia pp 139–160Cite as

TEMPORAL VARIABILITY IN THE NUTRIENT CHEMISTRY OF THE CARIACO BASIN

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Part of the book series: Nato Science Series: IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences ((NAIV,volume 64))

Abstract

Nutrient data have been collected monthly at the CARIACO time series site in the Cariaco Basin since 1995, providing a unique picture of the cycling of NO3 -, NO2 -, NH4 +, PO4 3- and SiO2 in this permanently anoxic system underlying a major coastal upwelling zone. Our data indicate that nutrients for phytoplankton growth are primarily supplied by upwelling of subsurface water on a seasonal basis. In addition, coastal runoff seems to supply important amounts of silica and ammonium to surface waters. We saw no indication of local nitrogen fixation in the Cariaco surface waters. In the suboxic zone, our data to date are not of sufficiently high enough resolution to resolve all important features. However, at least partial phosphate removal appears to occur in a zone above the first appearance of sulfide, and associated with intermittent intrusions of oxygenated water. In the suboxic zone, there appear to be thin layers where ammonium and nitrite coexist, potentially permitting anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) to take place. In the deep waters, concentrations of ammonium, phosphate and silica continue to increase at a rate consistent with prior studies. However, in the upper part of the anoxic zone, there is evidence for sulfide removal, probably associated with oxygen intrusions.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Marine Sciences Research Center, Stony Brook University,, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-5000, USA

    Mary I. Scranton & Gordon T. Taylor

  2. College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA

    Michelle McIntyre, Frank Müller-Karger & Kent Fanning

  3. Fundación La Salle de Ciencias Naturales, Estacion de Investigaciones Marinas de Margarita, Apartado 144 Porlamar, Isla de Margarita, Venezuela

    Yrene Astor

Authors
  1. Mary I. Scranton
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  2. Michelle McIntyre
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  3. Yrene Astor
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  4. Gordon T. Taylor
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  5. Frank Müller-Karger
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  6. Kent Fanning
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, Bremen, Germany

    Lev N. Neretin

  2. Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, Hannover, Germany

    Lev N. Neretin

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Scranton, M., McIntyre, M., Astor, Y., Taylor, G., Müller-Karger, F., Fanning, K. (2006). TEMPORAL VARIABILITY IN THE NUTRIENT CHEMISTRY OF THE CARIACO BASIN. In: Neretin, L. (eds) Past and Present Water Column Anoxia. Nato Science Series: IV: Earth and Environmental Sciences, vol 64. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4297-3_06

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