Figure 1 from Gross et al. 2023 (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/11/2097#); Figure 2. Compartment classifications of each cell in the model domain.

New research reveals insights into phytoplankton rates in Suisun Marsh

  • by Christine Ann Parisek

New research from The Complete Marsh Project reveals insights into phytoplankton rates in Suisun Marsh and serves as a useful tool to explore landscape-level variation in production and losses of phytoplankton.

The study, Using Age Tracers to Estimate Ecological Rates in a Phytoplankton Model, by Edward Gross, Rusty Holleman, Wim Kimmerer, Sophie Munger, Scott Burdick, and John Durand, indicates that the concentration of chlorophyll at a given location and time-point is heavily influenced by the proximity to shallow areas, which exhibit positive net productivity, while deep areas show negative net productivity. Phytoplankton distribution in estuaries is impacted by growth and loss processes that exhibit spatial variability. Thus, gaining comprehensive understanding of these factors that drive these processes is a valuable step to improve restoration and water management efforts effectively.

Read the full article: Gross, E., Holleman, R., Kimmerer, W., Munger, S., Burdick, S. and Durand, J., 2023. Using Age Tracers to Estimate Ecological Rates in a Phytoplankton Model. Water, 15(11), p.2097.

Figure 7 from Gross et al. 2023 (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/11/2097#); Figure 7. Predicted vs. observed chlorophyll at the continuous monitoring stations. Each circle is colored by the predicted total age. A 1:1 line is shown in blue. Approximately five percent of the chlorophyll measurements at Sheldrake Slough were greater than 20 mg L−1 (not shown).
Figure 10 from Gross et al. 2023 (https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/15/11/2097#); Figure 10. Calculated phytoplankton growth and loss rates averaged over the simulation period for each compartment (x-axis) and station (letters above individual bars; see Figure 1). The black horizontal line across each bar indicates the net growth rate. Net growth rates were negative in the main channel and positive elsewhere.

 

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