Annual variation of phytoplankton productivity in Estero de Punta Banda, B.C.

Abstract

Eleven time series were carried out at one station in Estero de Punta Banda, from June 1987 to May 1988. The samples were taken during the day at spring and neap tides and the following variables were analysed: temperature, salinity, concentration of phosphates, nitrates, silicates and chlorophyll a. Two primary productivity experiments were conducted with the carbon-fourteen method for each sampling. The maximum temperature, 22.16ºC, occurred in summer and the minimum, 16.33ºC, in winter. Both the amplitude of variation and the chlorophyll a concentration were higher in summer. The average of the concentration of nitrates and phosphates of each sampling was very similar throughout the year, except in January due to a storm that caused mixing and homogenization in the water column of the bay, causing the concentration to increase during the flow of the tidal current in the Estero. Primary productivity was higher during the summer months, reaching values of up to 68.32 mgC/ms/h, and lower in autumn and winter with values of 3.57 mgC/m3/h. High assimilation ratio values are reported during neap tides.