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Influence of Rossby waves on nutrient dynamics and the plankton community structure in the North Pacific subtropical gyre

ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University

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Title Influence of Rossby waves on nutrient dynamics and the plankton community structure in the North Pacific subtropical gyre
Names Sakamoto, Carole M. (creator)
Karl, David M. (creator)
Jannasch, Hans W. (creator)
Bidigare, Robert R. (creator)
Letelier, Ricardo M. (creator)
Walz, Peter M. (creator)
Ryan, John P. (creator)
Polito, Paulo S. (creator)
Johnson, Kenneth S. (creator)
Date Issued 2004-05-28 (iso8601)
Note Copyrighted by American Geophysical Union.
Abstract Nitrate concentrations, chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence, radiance, salinity, and
temperature were measured on the Hawaii Air-Sea Logging Experiment, A Long-Term
Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment (HALE ALOHA) mooring located near the Hawaii
Ocean Time-Series (HOT) Program’s Station ALOHA (22°45’N; 158°W). Nitrate
concentrations were determined with OsmoAnalyzers deployed at depths of 120 and
180 m. Deployments in 1997 and 1999 captured monthlong events that brought relatively
cold high-nitrate seawater up into the euphotic zone. These events were correlated with
negative sea surface height (SSH) anomalies measured by the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite
altimeter. These nutrient injections at the Hawaii site were predominantly associated
with first baroclinic mode Rossby waves. Elevated nitrate concentrations resulted in
increased Chl a concentrations, increased primary productivity, and shifts in the
phytoplankton community structure, as determined by HPLC analysis of pigment
concentrations. The relative increase in pigments associated with phytoplankton that can
grow rapidly and exploit nitrate (e.g., haptophytes and pelagophytes) coincided with the
passage of Rossby waves in 1997–1999. A long-term combination of satellite remote
sensing, moored instrumentation or remote vehicles and periodic ship-based sampling is
needed to fully characterize the spatial and temporal variability due to the passage of
Rossby waves and their associated biological responses.
Genre Article
Topic nitrate
Identifier Sakamoto, C. M., D. M. Karl, H. W. Jannasch, R. R. Bidigare, R. M. Letelier, P. M. Walz, J. P. Ryan, P. S. Polito, and K. S. Johnson (2004), Influence of Rossby waves on nutrient dynamics and the plankton community structure in the North Pacific subtropical gyre, J. Geophys. Res., 109, C05032.

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