Temporal and Spatial Variability of Non-Living factors, Chlorophyll a and Pelagic Primary Production in Sefid-Rood River Estuary

Subject Areas : Marine Biology

M. R. Rahimibashar ¹ , A. Esmaeili Sary ² , S. M. R. Fatemi ³ , S. A. Nezami ⁴

1 - Department of marine biology, Islamic Azad University, Lahijan branch
2 - Department of Environmental science, Tarbiat Modares University, Faculty of Natural Resources. Noor
3 - Department of marine biology, Faculty of marine Science and Technology, Islamic Azad university, Science and Research Branch, Tehran
4 - Iranian fisheries research organization

Received: 2009-08-10 Accepted : 2009-02-20 Published : 2009-06-21

Keywords: Estuary, Caspian Sea, chlorophyll a, Primary production, Sefid-Rood River,

Abstract :

Sefid-Rood River Estuary is the most important riverine ecosystem in the south Caspian Sea. The aim of this study was to examine spatial and temporal variability of physical and Chemical factors, Chl-a and pelagic primary production during a year (November 2004 to October 2005) in five sampling stations in the Sefid-Rood River Estuary. Annual means (±SD) Physical and Chemical factors were: temperature 17.2±8.6 °C, Surface salinity1.77±1.32 ppt, battom salinity 2.79±3.27 ppt, turbidity 311.86±345.18 FTU, water tranprancy 36.5±25.33 cm, Do 8.69±2.88 mgL-1,  0.512±0.66 mgL-1, Sio2 5.68±1.91, TP 0.136±0.103 mgL-1, T.O.C. 10.3±9.9 mgL-1 and Chl. a 4.44±7.45 μgL-1. Minimum was zero in October and maximom in the September 22.85±2.5 μgL-1. There was a Spatial variability along the estuary and high level Chl. a determined in the river mouth (Station 4) with 7.5±10.65 μgL-1. Primary production determined in this estuary by dark and light bottle method and GPP 38.27±34.12 mgcm-2h-1 and NPP 201.6±289.9 mgcm-2d-1. Everywhere in this estuary nutrients appeared to be in excess to algal requirement and did not influence in Chl. a and primary production. The most important factor that influenced Chl. a was water temperature.