Nutrient Cycling and Primary Production in Port Hacking, New South Wales

Abstract

The changes in the concentrations of nitrate, phosphate and silicate in a marine-dominated estuarine basin are described and related to the changes in the physical properties of the water and the primary production. The consumption of oxygen and nutrient regeneration in the lower water column were directly related to density differences in the lower water column, and to the primary production. The regeneration of nutrients was related to the consumption of oxygen, with seasonal differences in the regeneration of nitrate and silicate. Increased rates of nutrient regeneration during salinity stratification after heavy rain were attributed to increased sedimentation rates.