Effect of a freshwater pulse on mesoscale circulation and phytoplankton distribution in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary

摘要

As part of a multidisciplinary program to study the physical-biological interactions regulating carbon flows in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary (LSLE), three cruises were conducted in June-July 1990 during a neap-spring tidal cycle when biological production was expected to be maximal. Nutrient (nitrates and silicates), phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll), oxygen, temperature, salinity, and current fields were used to elucidate the effect of a freshwater pulse produced by the discharge of the St. Lawrence and Saguenay rivers on the current fields and the biological variability and productivity of the LSLE.