Remixing in the lower reaches of the Venta river - Ventspils harbour (Baltic Sea): effects on nutrient cycling and transports
2002
Yurkovskis, A. (University of Latvia, Riga (Latvia). Inst. of Aquatic Ecology)
The Venta River is an important nutrient source for the Eastern Baltic Sea. Seaward nutrient fluxes through the Ventspils Harbour (the town of Ventspils, Latvia, located around the mouth of the river) are affected by traffic-induced vertical exchange. Enhanced mixing between outflowing waters and the saltwater layer leads to partial transfer and retention of dissolved riverine substances into the intruding seawater. Resuspension reaches the outflowing waters, additionally reshaping the structure of the nutrient discharges via increases of the total amounts of particulate phosphorus and nitrogen, a decline of the specific nutrient content of the solid phase, and a raised P:N ratio in suspended particles. Likely, interactions between resuspended sediment particles and dissolved phosphate affect phosphorus cycling in the harbour. The observed transformations in the nutrient outflow are expected to affect the trophic status of the adjacent coastal marine area. The results of this study allow better understanding of the transformations of nutrient fluxes through the Ventspils Harbour and the mechanisms driving them.
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