Océanographie biologique estivale et phytoplancton dans le sud-est de la baie d'Hudson

A biological oceanographic study of phytoplankton in the southeastern section of Hudson Bay was conducted in August and September 1976 in an effort to determine the relationships between phytoplankton and the summer hydrographic conditions in an Arctic coastal environment. Consistently low levels of nitrates were found in the deep waters of the Bay. Some physical oceanographers hypothesize that the deeper waters of Hudson Bay are uncoupled from the Atlantic Ocean, as intensive mixing of incoming oceanic waters occurs in the Hudson Strait. Such a circulation pattern, together with possibly low nutrient regeneration in Hudson Bay, could account for the low levels of nitrate observed in the deep waters. Average chlorophyll: adenosine triphosphate ratios of about 5:1 were observed in the surface coastal waters during this study, suggesting a possible nitrogen-limitation of phytoplankton at the end of the summer. The geographic distribution pattern of the phytoplankton taxa was related to the freshwater inflow from rivers and to the overall production of the phytoplankton. These results are discussed in relation to the previously reported low biological production of Hudson Bay.

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Contribution au programme du Groupe interuniversitaire de recherches océanographiques du Québec (GIROQ).