Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf Break
Abstract A long‐standing hypothesis postulates that the elevated productivity at continental shelf break regions is stimulated by enhanced nutrient supply to the surface sunlit depths, however, direct, quantitative evidence has been lacking. We tested this hypothesis with a set of high‐resolution ph...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113870 |
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| author | Bofu Zheng Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang Rubao Ji Julia M. Hummon Heidi M. Sosik |
| author_facet | Bofu Zheng Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang Rubao Ji Julia M. Hummon Heidi M. Sosik |
| author_sort | Bofu Zheng |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A long‐standing hypothesis postulates that the elevated productivity at continental shelf break regions is stimulated by enhanced nutrient supply to the surface sunlit depths, however, direct, quantitative evidence has been lacking. We tested this hypothesis with a set of high‐resolution physical and biogeochemical observations from repeated summertime surveys across the Northeast U.S. continental shelf break front. We found direct evidence during summer at this shelf break frontal region that: (a) near‐bottom flow convergence, a necessary process leading to frontal upwelling, was a common occurrence, happening over 75% of the time; (b) nitrate concentrations were elevated, characterized by a dome‐shaped cross‐shelf distribution approximately 30 m tall, extending from the foot of the shelf break front up to the base of the euphotic layer; (c) subsurface chlorophyll enhancement was a persistent feature. Together, these findings link bottom flow convergence, nutrient upwelling, and phytoplankton enhancement, elucidating the shelf break frontal upwelling dynamics. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-cfc3a410b5e8473eae68c25fbef1c5f4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-cfc3a410b5e8473eae68c25fbef1c5f42025-08-20T03:40:44ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-08-015215n/an/a10.1029/2024GL113870Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf BreakBofu Zheng0Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang1Rubao Ji2Julia M. Hummon3Heidi M. Sosik4Biology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USAApplied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USABiology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USASchool of Ocean Earth Science and Technology University of Hawai'i at Manoa Honolulu HI USABiology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole MA USAAbstract A long‐standing hypothesis postulates that the elevated productivity at continental shelf break regions is stimulated by enhanced nutrient supply to the surface sunlit depths, however, direct, quantitative evidence has been lacking. We tested this hypothesis with a set of high‐resolution physical and biogeochemical observations from repeated summertime surveys across the Northeast U.S. continental shelf break front. We found direct evidence during summer at this shelf break frontal region that: (a) near‐bottom flow convergence, a necessary process leading to frontal upwelling, was a common occurrence, happening over 75% of the time; (b) nitrate concentrations were elevated, characterized by a dome‐shaped cross‐shelf distribution approximately 30 m tall, extending from the foot of the shelf break front up to the base of the euphotic layer; (c) subsurface chlorophyll enhancement was a persistent feature. Together, these findings link bottom flow convergence, nutrient upwelling, and phytoplankton enhancement, elucidating the shelf break frontal upwelling dynamics.https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113870nutrient upwellingshelf break dynamicsenhanced productivity |
| spellingShingle | Bofu Zheng Weifeng (Gordon) Zhang Rubao Ji Julia M. Hummon Heidi M. Sosik Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf Break Geophysical Research Letters nutrient upwelling shelf break dynamics enhanced productivity |
| title | Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf Break |
| title_full | Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf Break |
| title_fullStr | Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf Break |
| title_full_unstemmed | Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf Break |
| title_short | Direct Evidence of Nutrient Upwelling and Phytoplankton Enhancement at a Continental Shelf Break |
| title_sort | direct evidence of nutrient upwelling and phytoplankton enhancement at a continental shelf break |
| topic | nutrient upwelling shelf break dynamics enhanced productivity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GL113870 |
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