Distribution of Nutrients in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Abstract

The general pattern of nutrient distribution in the Gulf of St. Lawrence results from regeneration processes being superimposed on the physical processes of estuarine circulation within the Gulf. This leads to a general increase in nutrient concentration with depth and with distance into the Gulf from Cabot Strait. Nutrient concentrations in the Laurentian Channel are higher inside the Gulf than at equal or even greater depths in the Atlantic Ocean some distance outside Cabot Strait. Summer nutrient concentrations in the surface layer are generally low. However, during the winter when biological activity is low, quite high concentrations of the nutrients are found in the surface waters of the Gulf. A balance exists between inward and outward fluxes of all three nutrients through Cabot Strait in the winter. However, in the summer the influxes of both nitrate and silicate at Cabot Strait greatly exceed the outgoing fluxes. Losses of biogenic silica to the sediments may account for the silicate imbalance. Excess nitrate may be accounted for if ammonia or nitrogen bound with dissolved organics had been measured. Key words: nutrients, silicate, phosphate, nitrate, distribution, regeneration, transport, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Cabot Strait, Laurentian Channel