The Primary Production of a British Columbia Fjord

Abstract

An annual cycle of primary production was established for a British Columbia fjord. Detailed oceanographic analyses of the total oxygen budget of the fjord provided a biological oxygen budget that was further apportioned into estimations of the gross primary production (24), net primary production (24), and subeuphotic utilization of organic material. The values for 1958–59 were 671, 381, and 290 g C/m²/yr, respectively. Using C¹⁴ data, corrected for observed respiration and variations in insolation, 24-hr gross and net primary production estimations of 609 and 455 g C/m²/yr were derived. Over 90% of the year's primary production was attributed to the nannoplankton. The relation between the physical environmental factors of the fjord and primary production is discussed.