The Tomales Bay Macrocosm: Proposed Research Site for Investigation of Biogeochemical Reactions in Estuaries. 1. Interannual Variations in Nutrient Budgets

本项目是PI长期项目的一年延续 对加州托马尔斯湾的研究。 这将完成他正在进行的 水文和营养调查。 托马莱斯湾是独一无二的，因为 简单的水力学原理， 水的时间。 这些因素极大地促进了质量和 通量计算的水，盐，和营养物质内的 湾，本身。 此外，海湾是研究 陆地、河口和海洋之间的物质交换 沿海海洋 这是一个“净异养系统”，这意味着， 它消耗的有机物比消耗的多。 也是一 将氮气释放到蒸发器的蒸发系统 微生物分解有机物的过程。 PI试图回答以下问题。 是 这一系统和类似系统的异养由来自 陆地还是沿海海洋的物质 大量的 有机物从沿海海洋输送到海湾， 但当上升流弱时，陆地径流强， 贡献更多的有机物 加上这一年 PI将解决这些问题的相对重要性， 潜在的来源。 这项研究的结果可能会迫使 重新计算全球碳和氮预算， 其他河口系统也可能是净异养的， 如之前所认为的净自养。

This project is a one year continuation of the PI's long term study of Tomales Bay, California. It will complete his ongoing hydrographic and nutrient survey. Tomales Bay is unique because of its hydrgraphic simplicity and because of the long residence time of its water. These factors greatly facilitate mass and flux calculations for the water, salt, and nutrients within the Bay, itself. In addition, the Bay is optimum for studying the exchange of material between the land, the estuary and the coastal ocean. It is a "net heterotrophic system," meaning that it consumes more organic matter than it consumes. It is also a denitrifying system where nitrogen gas is released to the atmosphere as the microbes decompose organic matter. The PI seeks to answer the following question. Is the heterotrophy of this and similar systems fueled by material from the land or by material from the coastal ocean? A great deal of organic matter is delivered to the Bay from the coastal ocean, but when upwelling is weak terrestrial runoff is strong and may contribute even more organic matter. With this additional year of sampling the PI will resolve the relative importance of these potential sources. The results of this study may force a recalculation of the global carbon and nitrogen budget because other estuarine systems may also be net heterotrophic rather than net autotrophic as previously thought.