Significance of advection for the carrying capacities of fjord populations

Abstract

Advective rates of nutrients, phytoplankton and zooplankton were estimated for the Masfjord, western Norway, in June and October 1985. The advective contribution to the phytoplankton biomass formation was dearly less than the local growth. Advection of nutrients, even below the photic zone, may have large implications for the new production of the fjord. The highest renewal rate (13.6 % d l ) due to advection was obtained for the mesozooplankton in June. While 20 % of this renewal was due to water advection alone, 80 % was due to the combined effect of the current profile and the vertical distribution of the mesozooplankton. Thus transport of mesozooplankton may exceed local growth significantly. The deep basin (494 m) of the fjord serves as a refuge for resident macrozooplankton and rnicronekton populations predating on mesozooplankton. Analysis suggests that such predators may be more sensitive to a change in the advective rate than to a similar change in the prey growth rate. Advection may be an important factor underlying the carrying capacity of mesozooplankton predators in fjords.