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Rivers in the sea - Can we quantify pigments in the Amazon and the Orinoco River plumes from space?Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) images of the western tropical Atlantic (1979-1982) were combined into monthly mean surface pigment fields. These suggest that Amazon River water flows along northeastern South America directly toward the Caribbean sea early in the year. After June, however, the North Brazil Current is shunted eastward, carrying a large fraction of Amazon water into the North Equatorial Countercurrent (NECC). This eastward flow causes diminished flow through the Caribbean, which permits northwestward dispersal of Orinoco River water due to local Ekman forcing. The Orinoco plume crosses the Caribbean, leading to seasonal variation in surface salinity near Puerto Rico. At least 50 percent of the pigment concentration estimated in these plumes seems due to viable phytoplankton.
Document ID
19910030924
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Muller-Karger, Frank E.
(University of South Florida Saint Petersburg, FL, United States)
Walsh, John J.
(University of South Florida Saint Petersburg, FL, United States)
Carder, Kendall L.
(South Florida, University Saint Petersburg, FL, United States)
Zika, Rod G.
(Miami, University FL, United States)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Subject Category
Earth Resources And Remote Sensing
Accession Number
91A15547
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGT-21-002-822
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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