Spatial distribution of benthic-pelagic coupling

底栖-远洋耦合的空间分布

• 批准号: 36597-2007
• 负责人: Grant, Jonathan
• 金额: $ 3.37万
• 依托单位: Dalhousie University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2008-01-01 至 2009-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=390171
• 关键词: Spatial; distribution; benthic; pelagic; coupling

Coastal estuaries and bays are sites of strong environmental gradients caused by tides, winds and river flow. Bottom sediments are a manifestation of this variation, with bottom habitat (sand, mud, plants) reflecting the energy of the environment and development of animal communities. The shallow well-mixed water column insures that the bottom influences overlying waters by resuspension of sediments and organic debris, and release of nutrients from decomposition. Material produced in the water column (phytoplankton) sinks to the bottom where it fuels these processes. The rate at which material is cycled between the bottom, water column, and coastal ocean determines how estuaries deal with pollution, excess nutrients, and a variety of stresses. Although there is some understanding of the range of different habitat types, their relative importance is not well known. For example, it is expected that decomposition will be greater in organic-rich mud than in clean sand, but this level of spatial resolution is rarely included in the models that are used to make predictions about the functioning of coastal ecosystems. The proposed research will document variation in coastal habitats as well as the rate at which physical exchange, decomposition, and primary production (plants, microalgae) occur in these habitats. I will use remote detection techniques such as acoustic seabed mapping to define habitat variation. A series of detailed measurements on decomposition, plant growth, and other processes will be measured in multiple locations, allowing a match between environmental conditions and their role in ecosystem functioning. This information will then be input to improved ecosystem models to allow greater capability in prediction of effects from nutrient loading, resource extraction, fisheries, commercial development, and climate change.

沿海河口和海湾是由潮汐、风和河流造成的强环境梯度场所。底部沉积物是这种变化的体现，底部栖息地（沙、泥、植物）反映了环境的能量和动物群落的发展。浅层混合良好的水柱确保底部通过沉积物和有机碎片的再悬浮以及分解中营养物质的释放来影响上覆水域。水柱中产生的物质（浮游植物）沉入底部，为这些过程提供燃料。物质在海底、水柱和沿海海洋之间循环的速度决定了河口如何应对污染、营养过剩和各种压力。尽管人们对不同栖息地类型的范围有所了解，但它们的相对重要性尚不清楚。例如，预计富含有机物的泥浆的分解程度会比干净的沙子更大，但这种水平的空间分辨率很少包含在用于预测沿海生态系统功能的模型中。拟议的研究将记录沿海栖息地的变化以及这些栖息地发生物理交换、分解和初级生产（植物、微藻）的速率。我将使用远程探测技术（例如声学海底测绘）来定义栖息地变化。将在多个地点对分解、植物生长和其他过程进行一系列详细测量，从而使环境条件与其在生态系统功能中的作用相匹配。然后，这些信息将被输入到改进的生态系统模型中，以增强预测养分负荷、资源开采、渔业、商业发展和气候变化影响的能力。