Chlorophyll a, tripton, color, and light availability in a shallow tropical inner-shelf lagoon, Florida Bay, USA

Spatial and temporal variability of Light attenuation within Florida Bay, USA was examined at 17 stations over a 1 yr period, with emphasis on the relative roles of algal and non-algal factors in the absorption of light in the water column. Four distinct regions in the bay were identified based on differences in the relationships between light extinction coefficients (K,), non-algal suspended solids (tripton), chlorophyll (chl) a, and color. Ranges of mean values for these key variables, at individual stations within the bay, were 0.66 to 2.82 m-' for K,, 8.1 to 30 g m-3 for tripton, 0.4 to 18.4 mg m-3 for chl a and 1.4 to 15 pt units for color. These results are discussed in relation to light availability for planktonic and benthic primary production in different regions of the bay and seasons of the year. The results indicate a significant potential for light limitat~on of seayrass colonization in certain regions of the bay due to light attenuation in the water column caused by high levels of tripton and/or phytoplankton.

[1]  W. Dennison.  Effects of light on seagrass photosynthesis, growth and depth distribution , 1987 .

[2]  James E. Cloern,et al.  Turbidity as a control on phytoplankton biomass and productivity in estuaries , 1987 .

[3]  D. Tomasko,et al.  Depth Distribution of Thalassia testudinum in two Meadows on the West Coast of Florida; a Difference in Effect of Light Availability , 1988 .

[4]  Paul V. Zimba,et al.  Spatial and temporal variability of trophic state parameters in a shallow subtropical lake (Lake Okeechobee, Florida, USA) , 1993 .

[5]  Jack W. Pierce,et al.  Modeling spectral diffuse attenuation, absorption, and scattering coefficients in a turbid estuary , 1990 .

[6]  S. Wofsy,et al.  A simple model to predict extinction coefficients and phytoplankton biomass in eutrophic waters1 , 1983 .

[7]  William J. Oswald,et al.  Photosynthesis in Sewage Treatment , 1957 .

[8]  James W. Fourqurean,et al.  Phosphorus limitation of primary production in Florida Bay: Evidence from C:N:P ratios of the dominant seagrass Thalassia testudinum , 1992 .

[9]  K. Sand‐Jensen.  Effect of epiphytes on eelgrass photosynthesis , 1977 .

[10]  R. D. Walmsley.  Factors governing turbidity in a South African reservoir: With 3 figures in the text , 1978 .

[11]  B. Kjerfve,et al.  Trophic state and water turn-over time in six choked coastal lagoons in Brazil , 1991 .

[12]  H. Stefan,et al.  Wind Control of Algae Growth in Eutrophic Lakes , 1976 .

[13]  W. J. Goldsborough,et al.  Light responses of a submersed macrophyte: implications for survival in turbid tidal waters. , 1988 .

[14]  J. Borum.  Development of epiphytic communities on eelgrass (Zostera marina) along a nutrient gradient in a Danish estuary , 1985 .

[15]  E. Phlips,et al.  Spatial variability in phytoplankton standing crop and composition in a shallow inner-shelf lagoon, Florida Bay, Florida , 1996 .

[16]  A. Jassby,et al.  THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND LIGHT FOR NATURAL ASSEMBLAGES OF COASTAL MARINE PHYTOPLANKTON 1 , 1976 .

[17]  L. Yarbro,et al.  Mass mortality of the tropical seagrass Thalassia testudinum in Florida Bay (USA) , 1991 .

[18]  M. Geddes.  Limnology of Lake Alexandrina, River Murray, South Australia, and the effects of nutrients and light on the phytoplankton , 1984 .

[19]  Lawrence W. Harding,et al.  Phytoplankton production in two east coast estuaries: Photosynthesis-light functions and patterns of carbon assimilation in Chesapeake and Delaware Bays , 1986 .

[20]  L. Arvola.  Vertical distribution of primary production and phytoplankton in two small lakes with different humus concentration in southern Finland , 1984 .

[21]  W. Vant.  Causes of light attenuation in nine New Zealand estuaries , 1990 .

[22]  D. Bulthuis,et al.  Biomass accumulation and shading effects of epiphytes on leaves of the seagrass, Heterozostera tasmanica, in Victoria, Australia , 1983 .

[23]  B. Mcpherson,et al.  The vertical attenuation of light in Charlotte Harbor, a shallow, subtropical estuary, south-western Florida , 1987 .

[24]  Ronald D. Jones,et al.  Process Influencing Water Column Nutrient Characteristics and Phosphorus Limitation of Phytoplankton Biomass in Florida Bay, FL, USA:Inferences from Spatial Distributions , 1993 .

[25]  T. Malone.  Environmental regulation of phytoplankton productivity in the lower Hudson Estuary , 1977 .

[26]  M. Libes.  Productivity-irradiance relationship of Posidonia oceanica and its epiphytes , 1986 .

[27]  H. Wanless,et al.  Origin, growth and evolution of carbonate mudbanks in Florida Bay , 1989 .

[28]  B. Lapointe,et al.  Productivity and biomass of Thalassia testudinum as related to water column nutrient availability and epiphyte levels: field observations and experimental studies , 1991 .

[29]  C. Lorenzen.  Extinction of Light in the Ocean by Phytoplankton , 1972 .

[30]  F. Colijn.  Light absorption in the waters of the Ems-Dollard estuary and its consequences for the growth of phytoplankton and microphytobenthos , 1982 .

[31]  G. Powell,et al.  Experimental evidence for nutrient limitation of seagrass growth in a tropical estuary with restricted circulation , 1989 .

[32]  Thomas L. Crisman,et al.  Relationships between light availability, chlorophyll a, and tripton in a large, shallow subtropical lake , 1995 .

[33]  James W. Fourqurean,et al.  Distribution, abundance and productivity of seagrasses and macroalgae in Florida Bay , 1989 .

[34]  A. Mccomb,et al.  The loss of seagrass in cockburn sound, Western Australia. III. The effect of epiphytes on productivity of Posidonia australis Hook. F. , 1986 .

[35]  W. Dunstan,et al.  Suspended-sediment distribution and certain aspects of phytoplankton production off Georgia, U.S.A. , 1981 .

[36]  G. Cadée,et al.  Phytoplankton primary production, chlorophyll and composition in an inlet of the Western Wadden Sea (Marsdiep) , 1979 .

[37]  J. Beaver,et al.  Importance of Latitude and Organic Color on Phytoplankton Primary Productivity in Florida Lakes , 1991 .

[38]  B. Lapointe,et al.  Nutrient inputs from the watershed and coastal eutrophication in the Florida keys , 1992 .

[39]  T. T. Bannister.  Production equations in terms of chlorophyll concentration, quantum yield, and upper limit to production , 1974 .

[40]  W. Judson Kenworthy,et al.  The light requirements of seagrasses, proceedings of a workshop to examine the capability of water quality criteria, standards and monitoring programs to protect seagrasses , 1991 .

[41]  Walter R. Boynton,et al.  The influence of waves and seagrass communities on suspended particulates in an estuarine embayment , 1984 .

[42]  C. Duarte.  Seagrass depth limits , 1991 .

[43]  I. Joint,et al.  Primary production in a turbid estuary , 1981 .