The Role of Freshwater Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Over the last decade or two marine scientists have become more aware of the role of freshwater outflow in coastal waters. Some have raised the question whether or not regulation of river flow may change the biological productivity in coastal marine ecosystems. The idea of organising a workshop to deal with this problem, arose from parallel concern in Norway and Canada, but it was soon recognised that the scientific interests were also shared by research groups in other countries. After the initial contacts had been made, it was agreed to establish a committee which should assist the workshop director in organising the workshop. The Organising committee consisted of K.F. Drinkwater, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Canada; S. Skreslet (workshop director), Nordland College, Norway; V.S. Smetacek, Institut fur Meereskunde an der Universitat Kiel, Germany; and H. Svendsen, University of Bergen, Norway. An Advisory committee was established to provide terms of reference for the Organising committee, with regard to the programme and selection of participants. This committee con sisted of J.B.L. Matthews (chairman), Scottish Marine Bio logical Association, U.K.; T.R. Parsons, University of British Columbia, Canada; R. S~tre, Institute of Marine Research, Nor way; M.M. Sinclair, Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; and W.S. Wooster, University of Washington, Canada.

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Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on the Role of Freshwater Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems held in Bodo, Norway, May 21-25, 1985

Contenu
Opening Address.- Invited Contributions.- Freshwater outflow in relation to space and time dimensions of complex ecological interactions in coastal waters.- Mixing and exchange processes in estuaries, fjords and shelf waters.- The role of brackish plumes in open shelf waters.- Laboratory modeling of dynamic processes in fjords and shelf waters.- Impact of freshwater discharge on production and transfer of materials in the marine environment.- A framework for discussion of marine zooplankton production in relation to freshwater runoff.- The dependence of fish larval survival on food andpredator densities.- Assessment of effects of freshwater runoff variability on fisheries production in coastal waters.- Computer model analysis of pelagic ecosystems in estuarine waters.- Inshore Waters.- The capacity of Lake Melville fjord to store runoff.- Inorganic nutrient regeneration in Loch Etive bottom water.- Physical exchange and the dynamics of phyto- plankton in Scottish sea-lochs.- Freshwater outflow effects in a coastal, macro- tidal ecosystem as revealed by hydrological, chemical and biological variabilities (Bay of Brest, western Europe).- Marginal Seas.- River input of nutrients into the German Bight.- Effects of freshwater inflow on the distribution, composition and production of plankton in the Dutch coastal waters of the North Sea.- Freshwater runoff control of the spatio-temporal distribution of phytoplankton in the lower St. Lawrence Estuary (Canada).- Biological and physical characteristics of a frontal region associated with the arrival of spring freshwater discharge in the southwestern Gulf of St. Lawrence.- Shelf Waters.- Relationships of St. Lawrence River outflow with sea surface temperature and salinity in the northwest Atlantic.- Water retention over Flemish Cap.- The Scottish Coastal Current.- Runoff driven coastal flow off British Columbia.- The seasonal influence of Chesapeake Bay phytoplankton to the continental shelf.- River runoff and shrimp abundance in a tropical coastal ecosystem the example of the Sofala Bank (central Mozambique).- Timing and duration of spring blooming south and southwest of Iceland.- Production, grazing and sedimentation in the Norwegian Coastal Current.- Advection of Calanus finmarchicus between habitats in Norwegian coastal waters.- The ecological impact of the East Greenland Current on the north Icelandic waters.- Group Reports.- Oceanographic functions of freshwater discharge and consequences of change.- Interdisciplinary assessment of ecological problems related to freshwater outflow in coastal marine systems.- Summary Contribution.- On the role of freshwater outflow on coastal marine ecosystems a workshop summary.- Recommendations.- Recommendations for joint international research cooperation.- List of Participants.