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On the Unusual Patterns of Phosphate Vertical Distribution in the Tamar Estuary

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

J. P. Mommaerts
J. P. Mommaerts
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Botanique Systématique et d'Ecologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles
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Extract

In two previous papers on the distribution of some nutrients and phytoplankters in the Tamar estuary, anomalies in the vertical profile of phosphate concentration have been demonstrated (Mommaerts, 1969a, b). In the top three metres the water column was stratified so that a dip of no more than 50 cm revealed a PO43- (calculated as phosphorus) variation that would normally be accompanied by a marked change in salinity. On the other hand, salinity determinations revealed no dilution at all. Such unexpected variations occurred two or three times in the layer studied. There was an excellent correlation between the PO43- and NO3- (calculated as nitrogen) concentrations on the one hand and between the silicate concentration and salinity on the other hand. Such a phenomenon could indicate either pollution or biological activity distributed along specific layers. The idea of pollution seemed to be most likely but, to fit the observations, the pollutant would have to match the salinity of the estuary at the precise spot where it enters.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 50 , Issue 3 , August 1970 , pp. 849 - 855
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1970

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References

REFERENCES

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