Observations were made of salinity, temperature, nitrate +
nitrite, phosphate, silicate, total available nitrogen, and chlorophyll
a in nine areas of the Alaskan Inside Passage during April of 1971.
In general all properties indicated the water to be well mixed throughout
this area. The conservative properties were particularly uniform.
The greatest range in temperature from the surface to 200 m was only
1.1°C. The largest salinity range over the same depth was 2.0 ₀/₀₀
Spring phytoplankton blooms were just beginning to appear.
Clarence Strait, in the southern part, presented the most evidence of
biological activity. Values of chlorophyll a in this area were the
highest observed (7.25 mg chl a/m³) outside of Auke Bay. This area
also had the most density structure, probably due to stabilization
brought on by warming. N:Si:P ratios for Clarence Strait indicate
that silicate could become limiting in this area.
The only other area, outside of Auke Bay, that had evidence
(high chlorophyll a) of biological activity was Taku Inlet. The N:Si:P
ratios for this area indicate that nitrate will probably be the limiting
nutrient.
Low oxygen values (2 ml/l) from the bottom of several deep
basins indicate the possibility of anaerobic conditions developing as
the water column stabilizes.
Flow within the Inside Passage seems to be controlled by freshwater
and saltwater inputs. Several major sources of both types of
water are found. Tides and winds contribute to the circulation of the
area but the mixing of saltwater and freshwater seems to be the predominant
force.
Local effects such as land runoff, glacial melt, input from hot
springs and bottom topography are important in determining water
conditions.
Total available nitrogen may be a better indicator of photosynthesis
than nitrate. TAN:P ratios tend to remain higher during
photosynthesis than nitrate:P ratios. / Graduation date: 1972
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/28950 |
| Date | 29 March 1972 |
| Creators | Coughenower, D. Douglas |
| Contributors | Curl, Herbert C. Jr |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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