Nutrients

Nutrient Dynamics of the Delta: Effects on Primary Producers

Clifford Dahm, Alexander Parker, Anne Adelson, Mairgareth Christman, Brian Bergamaschi

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Key points:

  • Nutrients, long dismissed as a factor in regulating primary production in the Delta, have become a factor deserving increased attention.
  • Growing clarity of the waters within the Delta has dictated a more prominent role for nutrients in influencing primary production.
  • Harmful algal blooms, especially Microcystis, and invasive aquatic plants interact with both the form and concentration of dissolved inorganic nutrients.
  • Inorganic nutrients in soluble forms can now be measured continuously and in real-time using new in situ sensors.