Method Development for Unenclosed Mesoscale Iron Enrichment Experiments and Galapagos Plume Studies

关于加拉帕戈斯群岛羽流起源的研究正在进行中；卫星海洋彩色图像记录了这一特征，显示了一股明显的高浮游植物色素羽流从加拉帕戈斯群岛流出。通过传统的船上研究也观察到来自加拉帕戈斯群岛的浮游植物丰度增加的现象。在一个以低生产力、高营养水为标志的地区，高生产力区可能是由以下几种假设过程之一造成的：从加拉帕戈斯平台水域引入“种子”种群，然后产生观察到的水华。2. 2 .破坏了以浮游动物为主的环境平衡，以及当水流过平台导致浮游动物失去控制时造成的水华。当它们经过加拉帕戈斯群岛附近时，将稀缺元素铁引入营养丰富的水域，使以前被抑制的水华条件得以发展。计划测量羽流周围和内部的营养物质、铁和其他微量元素、生产力、POC、DOC、PON、DON、浮游植物和浮游动物的生长速度以及相关参数来验证这些假设。

A study of the origin of the Galapagos plume is underway; the feature is documented through satellite ocean color images showing a marked plume of high phytoplankton pigments streaming off the Galapagos Islands. The phenomenon of enhanced phytoplankton abundance down current from the Galapagos Islands has also been observed via traditional shipboard studies. The high productivity zone in a region marked by low productivity, high nutrient waters may result from one of several hypothesized processes: 1. Introduction of a "seed" population from the Galapagos platform waters which then generates the observed bloom. 2. Disruption of an environmental balance dominated by zooplankton, and a bloom caused when flow of water over the platform causes zooplankton to lose control, and 3. Introduction of the scarce element Fe into the nutrient rich waters as they pass near the Galapagos Islands, allowing a previously inhibited bloom condition to develop. Measurements of nutrients, Fe and other trace elements, productivity, POC, DOC, PON, DON, phytoplankton and zooplankton growth rates and related parameters around and inside the plume are planned to test the hypotheses.