<p>Eutrophication, which is the most important degradation in water bodies, has been traced to the imposed loading of nutrients. Of interest is the fact that the process is often accompanied with undesirable effects, one of which is primarily the increased algae production at the surface and accumulation of biomass at the bottom and the secondary responses, which include a., change in species composition b. change in the biogeochemical cycle c. shift in the seasonal pattern and magnitude variability.</p><p>The biogeochemical cycle in response to hydrodynamic alterations may occur internally; however external loading often fosters the process over large spatial scales. In the quest of validating the above statement, we hypothesized that there is no difference in the mean concentration of nutrients in the Gulf of Bothnia from the overall mean concentration.</p><p>The analysis was done with a probability mapping method, in which all stations were grouped into a lattice. The cells are constructed using a grid system, i.e. x and y axis (longitude and latitude). Basically the method statistically tested for variables deviating from the over mean concentration. The variables analyzed are DIN, DSi, DIP and DIN: DSi.</p><p>Results of the analysis showed significant spatial variations in the nutrient distribution in the Gulf of Bothnia; such differences were observed in the coastal to the deep zones of the Gulf.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA/oai:DiVA.org:liu-6797 |
| Date | January 2006 |
| Creators | Salawu, Lukman |
| Publisher | Linköping University, The Tema Institute, Institutionen för tema |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, text |
Page generated in 0.0015 seconds