Annual cycle and interannual variability of ecosystem metabolism in a temperate climate embayment

We have studied the net and gross metabolism of Tomales Bay, a temperate climate estuary in northern California. Tomales Bay has proved to be heterotrophic, implying that the bay oxidizes a subsidy of organic carbon from outside the system, in excess of inorganic nutrients supplied to it from outside and in addition to material cycling within it. Net organic oxidation releases dissolved inorganic nutrients, and the system exports these dissolved inorganic products. Dissolved inorganic phosphorus is exported to the ocean via mixing and constitutes the most direct record of net ecosystem production (NEP). Excess dissolved inorganic nitrogen is lost to denitrification. Excess dissolved inorganic carbon largely results in alkalinity elevation and hydrographic export of alkalinity due to sulfate reduction. The negative NEP of this system results in little release of CO2 to the atmosphere, because of this alkalinity elevation. A major purpose of the study was to ascertain the relative importance of various sour...

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