Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Feedbacks Among Benthic Metabolism, Nitrogen Cycling, And Intense Phytoplankton Blooms In The York River Estuary, Michelle H. Woods

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Benthic-pelagic coupling is defined as the deposition of organic matter from the water column to the sediments, and the subsequent remineralization of this organic matter and release of inorganic nutrients back to the water column. This process plays an important role in determining the magnitude of benthic net community production (NCP), a metric that reflects the balance between gross primary production and respiration. Environmental factors, such as the presence or absence of intense phytoplankton blooms can influence the direction and magnitude of benthic-pelagic coupling and determine if benthic NCP is net autotrophic or heterotrophic. The objective this thesis was to …