The pathways and properties of the Amazon River Plume in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean

Coles, Victoria J.; Brooks, Maureen T.; Hopkins, Julia; Stukel, Michael R.; Yager, Patricia L.; Hood, Raleigh R.

doi:10.1002/2013jc008981

Cited by 159 publications

(263 citation statements)

References 80 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

202

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Biomass in the tropics is highest in the summer, during the period of eastward retroflection of the Amazon plume in the North Equatorial Counter Current. However, there is also year-round connectivity between the Amazon plume and the Caribbean, with water discharged from the Amazon in the spring having the highest probability of reaching the Caribbean (Coles et al 2013). The connectivity analysis in this study is consistent with the results of Coles et al (2013), and also shows that the connectivity from the tropics to the Caribbean is higher than any other potential source in the Atlantic.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…However, there is also year-round connectivity between the Amazon plume and the Caribbean, with water discharged from the Amazon in the spring having the highest probability of reaching the Caribbean (Coles et al 2013). The connectivity analysis in this study is consistent with the results of Coles et al (2013), and also shows that the connectivity from the tropics to the Caribbean is higher than any other potential source in the Atlantic. This provides a mechanism for a direct link between the elevated Sargassum biomass in the tropics in recent years and the increased reports of Sargassum beaching in the Caribbean.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…HYCOM model fields have been widely utilized in studies of particle dispersal (Coles et al 2013 Rypina et al 2013, Stukel et al 2014 and model validation studies have been published for the global domain (Chassignet et al 2003(Chassignet et al , 2009). Here we concentrate on how well the model particles compare with the limited set of surface observational drifter data to ensure the surface currents relevant to Sargassum dispersal are captured reasonably, and to identify potential regions of divergence.…”

Section: Particle Model Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Factors controlling the seasonal distribution of pelagic Sargassum

Brooks¹,

Coles²,

Hood³

et al. 2018

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Particle Model Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Factors controlling the seasonal distribution of pelagic Sargassum

Brooks¹,

Coles²,

Hood³

et al. 2018

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…The Amazon River runs nearly 6,500 km across the South American continent before emptying into the Western Tropical North Atlantic Ocean, and is the largest riverine system based on both volume and watershed area (Coles et al, 2013). The rainforest of the Amazon Basin is responsible for nearly 10% of global primary production (Field et al, 1998), and much of the 8.5 Pg C fixed per year (Malhi et al, 2008) ultimately ends up in the river.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns of Bacterial and Archaeal Gene Expression through the Lower Amazon River

et al. 2017

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Analysis of metatranscriptomic and metagenomic datasets from the lower reaches of the Amazon River between Óbidos and the river mouth revealed microbial transcript and gene pools dominated by Actinobacteria, Thaumarchaeota, Bacteroidetes, Acidobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, and Planctomycetes. Three mainstem stations spanning a 625 km reach had similar gene expression patterns (transcripts gene copy −1 ) across a diverse suite of element cycling genes, but two tributary-influenced stations at the mouth of the Tapajós River and near the Tocantins River at Belém had distinct transcriptome composition and expression ratios, particularly for genes encoding light-related energy capture (higher) and iron acquisition and ammonia oxidation (lower). Environmental parameters that were useful predictors of gene expression ratios included concentrations of lignin phenols, suspended sediments, nitrate, phosphate, and particulate organic carbon and nitrogen. Similar to the gene expression data, these chemical properties reflected highly homogeneous mainstem stations punctuated by distinct tributary-influenced stations at Tapajós and Belém. Although heterotrophic processes were expected to dominate in the lower Amazon, transcripts from photosynthetic bacteria were abundant in tributary-influenced regions, and transcripts from Thaumarcheota taxa genetically capable of chemosynthetic ammonia oxidation accounted for up to 21% of the transcriptome at others. Based on regressions of transcript numbers against gene numbers, expression ratios of Thaumarchaeota populations were largely unchanged within the mainstem, suggesting a relatively minor role for gene regulation. These quantitative gene and transcript inventories detail a diverse array of energy acquisition strategies and metabolic capabilities for bacteria and archaea populations of the world's largest river system.

show abstract

“…The North Brazil Current is one of several flows that entrain and transport Amazon River discharge (Coles et al, 2013;Richardson and Reverdin, 1987). Coles et al Amazon river outflow has been associated with elevated nutrient concentrations, including phosphorus and iron, in previous studies (Subramaniam et al, 2008;Bergquist and Boyle, 2006;Tovar-Sanchez and Sañudo-Wilhelmy, 2011;Sohm and Capone, 2010).…”

Section: Spring 2011: Trichodesmium Colonies In Anticyclonesmentioning

confidence: 96%

Investigating the role of trichodesmium spp. in the oceanic nitrogen cycle through observations and models

Olson¹

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This work concerns the nitrogen fixation and abundance of Trichodesmium colonies in the western subtropical-tropical North Atlantic and their connections with physical processes. Data were collected in fall 2010 and spring 2011, primarily using the Video Plankton Recorder (VPR). A data processing procedure for estimating the abundance of rare taxa was devised to take advantage of the accuracy of manual classification and the effort savings of automatic classification. The procedure entails selecting a subset of the original dataset, classifying it with automated software, and then manually correcting each classification. The method was validated through comparisons with fully classified VPR data and with abundance data based on microscopic enumeration on preserved samples.Correlations of Trichodesmium colony abundance with the eddy field emerged in two subsets of the VPR observations. In fall 2010, local maxima in abundance were observed in a series of cyclones. We hypothesized Ekman transport convergence/divergence in cyclones/anticyclones as a driving mechanism. We investigated the process using idealized three-dimensional models of buoyant colonies in eddies. Elevated abundances in anticyclones in spring 2011 were correlated with anomalously fresh water, suggesting riverine input as a driver of the relationship.Finally, we evaluated the hypothesis of Davis and McGillicuddy (2006) that Trichodesmium nitrogen fixation in the North Atlantic may be underestimated by conventional sampling methods, based on their VPR observations of higher than expected colony abundances at depth in the subtropical North Atlantic. A bio-optical model was developed based on carbon-normalized nitrogen fixation rates measured in fall 2010 and spring 2011 and used to estimate nitrogen fixation over the VPR transects. Estimates of abundance and nitrogen fixation were similar in magnitude and vertical and geographical distribution to estimates compiled in a database by Luo et al. (2012). In the mean, VPR-based estimates of volume-specific nitrogen fixation 3 rates at depth in the tropical North Atlantic were not inconsistent with estimates derived from conventional sampling methods. Based on this analysis, if Trichodesmium nitrogen fixation is underestimated, it is unlikely that it is attributable to underestimation of deep colony abundances due to mechanical disturbance during net-based sampling.

show abstract

The pathways and properties of the Amazon River Plume in the tropical North Atlantic Ocean

Cited by 159 publications

References 80 publications

Factors controlling the seasonal distribution of pelagic Sargassum

Factors controlling the seasonal distribution of pelagic Sargassum

Patterns of Bacterial and Archaeal Gene Expression through the Lower Amazon River

Investigating the role of trichodesmium spp. in the oceanic nitrogen cycle through observations and models

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About