Abundance and elemental composition of particulate matter in the upper layer of northeastern mediterranean

摘要

Suspended particulate (POC, PON, PP) profiles obtained in 1991-1994 indicate the existence of characteristic subsurface maxima near the base of the euphotic zone in the cyclonic Rhodes gyre and its peripherial waters in the Northeastern Mediterranean. Interestingly the N:P of the bulk seston was reasonable during stratification seasons when the surface water was relatively poor in phosphate; but the ratio was unexpectedly low (N:P=6-12) in the late winter of 1992 when the surface layer of Rhodes gyre was occupied with nutrient rich deep waters.