ABSTRACT Chemical and biological oceanographers have long puzzled over the source of nutrients, especially nitrogen, to primary production in the central ocean gyres. In the case of the central North Pacific, some believe that nitrogen fixing bacteria may be the answer while a smaller group believes that advection of nitrogen from other parts of the basin is more likely. In this small but clever study, the principal investigator and a group of students from the University of Washington will combine spatially continuous chemical and hydrographic measurements taken underway on a cruise from Washington to Hawaii to estimate how important horizontal transport from the North American shelf to the basin interior can be expected to be. This will be the first time that a horizontal profile of sufficient resolution has been made to allow assessment of the importance of margin-to-central gyre transport of nutrients.

Agency
National Science Foundation (NSF)
Institute
Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE)
Type
Standard Grant (Standard)
Application #
9728856
Program Officer
Donald L. Rice
Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
1997-08-01
Budget End
1998-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
1997
Total Cost
$29,567
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Washington
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Seattle
State
WA
Country
United States
Zip Code
98195