The Role of Freshwater Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems

451 Pages·1986·15.341 MB·English

by  Audun Sandberg (auth.), Stig Skreslet (eds.)

The Role of Freshwater Outflow
in Coastal Marine Ecosystems
NATO ASI Series
Advanced Science Institutes Series
A series presenting the results of activities sponsored by the NATO Science Committee,
which aims at the dissemination of advanced scientific and technological knowledge,
with a view to strengthening links between scientific communities.
The Series is published by an international board of publishers in conjunction with the
NATO Scientific Affairs Division
A Life Sciences Plenum Publishing Corporation
B Physics London and New York
C Mathematical and D. Reidel Publishing Company
Physical Sciences Dordrecht, Boston and Lancaster
D Behavioural and Martinus Nijhoff Publishers
Social Sciences Boston, The Hague, Dordrecht and Lancaster
E Applied Sciences
F Computer and Springer-Verlag
Systems Sciences Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo
G Ecological Sciences
Series G: Ecological Sciences Vol. 7
The Role of Freshwater Outflow
in Coastal Marine Ecosystems
Edited by
Stig Skreslet
Nordland College, PO. Box 6003, 8016 M0rkved, Bod0 Norway
Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo
Published in cooperation with NATO Scientific Affairs Division
Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on The Role of Freshwater
Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems held in BQd0, Norway, May 21-25, 1985
ISBN-13: 978-3-642-70888-6 e-ISBN-13: 978-3-642-70886-2
001: 10.1007/978-3-642-70886-2
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data. NATO Advanced Research Workshop on the Role of
Freshwater Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems (1985 : Bode!, Norway) The role of freshwater outflow in
coastal marine ecosystems. (NATO ASI series. Series G, Ecological sciences; v. 7). Includes index. 1. Marine
ecology-Congresses. 2. Coastal ecology-Congresses. 3. Stream ecology-Congresses.1. Skreslet, Stig, 1940-.
II. Title. III. Title: Freshwater outflow in coastal marine ecosystems. IV. Series: NATO ASI series. Series G,
Ecological sciences; no. 7. QH541.5.S3N371985 575.5'2636 86-6438
ISBN-13:978-3-642-70888-6 (U.S.)
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machine or similar means, and storage in data banks. Under § 54 of the German Copyright Law where copies are
made for other than private use, a fee is payable to 'Verwertungsgesellschaft Wort", Munich.
© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1986
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1986
2131/3140-543210
PREFACE
Over the last decade or two marine scientists have become more
aware of the role of freshwater outflow in coastal waters. Some
have raised the question whether or not regulation of river
flow may change the biological productivity in coastal marine
ecosystems. The idea of organising a workshop to deal with this
problem, arose from parallel concern in Norway and Canada, but
it was soon recognised that the scientific interests were also
shared by research groups in other countries.
After the initial contacts had been made, it was agreed to
establish a committee which should assist the workshop director
in organising the workshop. The Organising committee consisted
of K.F. Drinkwater, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada;
S. Skreslet (workshop director), Nordland College, Norway; V.S.
Smetacek, Institut fur Meereskunde an der Universitat Kiel,
Germany; and H. Svendsen, University of Bergen, Norway.
An Advisory committee was established to provide terms of
reference for the Organising committee, with regard to the
programme and selection of participants. This committee con
sisted of J.B.L. Matthews (chairman), Scottish Marine Bio
logical Association, U.K.; T.R. Parsons, University of British
Columbia, Canada; R. S~tre, Institute of Marine Research, Nor
way; M.M. Sinclair, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; and W.S.
Wooster, University of Washington, Canada.
The workshop was organised to fit the requirements of an Ad
vanced Research Workshop funded by the NATO Scientific Affairs
Division, which eventually awarded a grant to cover the major
part of the expences. However, additional financial support was
granted by the Norwegian Fisheries Research Council and the
Nordland College Fisheries Fund.
VI
Several colleagues at the Nordland College, both among the
administrative and scientific staffs, eventually became in
volved in one way or the other, and contributed significantly
to the success of the workshop. In particular, I am indebted to
Ewa Bivand whose professional support, skill and patience was
a true relief.
I want to thank all those who have been involved in the work
shop, not least the participants whose enthusiasm lifted the
programme from scetches on paper to a fruitful reality which
points to promising scientific endeavors in the future.
Bod0, 13 November 1985
Stig Skreslet
CONTENTS
OPENING ADDRESS
A. Sandberg
INVITED CONTRIBUTIONS
Freshwater outflow in relation to space and time
dimensions of complex ecological interactions in
coastal waters 3
S. Skreslet
Mixing and exchange processes in estuaries, fjords
and shelf waters 13
H. Svendsen
The role of brackish plumes in open shelf waters 47
R.W. Garvine
Laboratory modeling of dynamic processes in fjords
and shelf waters 67
T.A. McClimans
Impact of freshwater discharge on production and
transfer of materials in the marine environment 85
V.S. Smetacek
A framework for discussion of marine zooplankton
production in relation to freshwater runoff 107
J.B.L. Matthews
The dependence of fish larval survival on food and
VIII
predator densities 117
W.C.Leggett
Assessment of effects of freshwater runoff varia
bility on fisheries production in coastal waters 139
M. Sinclair, G.L. Bugden, C.L. Tang, J.-C.
Therriault and P.A. Yeats
computer model analysis of pelagic ecosystems in
estuarine waters 161
T. Parsons and T.A. Kessler
INSHORE WATERS
The capacity of Lake Melville fjord to store run
off 183
S.A. Akenhead and J. Bobbitt
Inorganic nutrient regeneration in Loch Etive
bottom water 195
A. Edwards and B.E. Grantham
Physical exchange and the dynamics of phyto-
plankton in Scottish sea-lochs 205
P. Tett
Freshwater outflow effects in a coastal, macro
tidal ecosystem as revealed by hydrological,
chemical and biological variabilities (Bay of
Brest, western Europe) 219
B. Queguiner and P. Treguer
MARGINAL SEAS
River input of nutrients into the German Bight 231
U.H. Brockmann and K. Eberlein
IX
Effects of freshwater inflow on the distribution,
composition and production of - plankton in the
Dutch coastal waters of the North Sea 241
H.G. Fransz
Freshwater runoff control of the spatio-temporal
distribution of phytoplankton in the lower st.
Lawrence Estuary (Canada) 251
J.-C. Therriault and M. Levasseur
Biological and physical characteristics of a
frontal region associated with the arrival of
spring freshwater discharge in the southwestern
Gulf of st. Lawrence 261
B. Cote, M. EI-Sabh and R. de la Durantaye
SHELF WATERS
Relationships of st. Lawrence River outflow with
sea surface temperature and salinity in the north
west Atlantic 271
J.A. Koslow, R.H. Loucks, K.R. Thompson and R.W.
Trites
Water retention over Flemish Cap 283
S.A. Akenhead
The Scottish Coastal Current 295
J.H. Simpson and A.E. Hill
Runoff driven coastal flow off British Columbia 309
P.H. LeBlond, B.M. Hickey and R.E. Thomson
The seasonal influence of Chesapeake Bay phyto-
plankton to the continental shelf 319
H.G. Marshall
x
River runoff and shrimp abundance in a tropical
coastal ecosystem - the example of the Sofala Bank
(central Mozambique) 329
A.J. da Silva
Timing and duration of spring blooming south and
southwest of Iceland 345
T. Thordardottir
Production, grazing and sedimentation in the
Norwegian Coastal Current 361
R. Peinert
Advection of Calanus finmarchicus between habitats
in Norwegian coastal waters 375
S. Skreslet and N.A. R0d
The ecological impact of the East Greenland
Current on the north Icelandic waters 389
S.A. Malmberg
GROUP REPORTS
Oceanographic functions of freshwater discharge
and consequences of change 405
Interdisciplinary assessment of ecological
problems related to freshwater outflow in coastal
marine systems 417
SUMMARY CONTRIBUTION
On the role of freshwater outflow on coastal
marine ecosystems - a workshop summary 429
K.F. Drinkwater