Kenneth Coale, Debbie Colbert, Eric Kingsley, and Heidi
Zamzow
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories
P.O. Box 450, Moss Landing, CA 95039
I. Introduction
The general chemical composition of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
(MBNMS) reflects that of the water masses bathing this region together with
both point source and diffuse non-point inputs to these waters. The oceanographic
setting of the MBNMS is characteristic of temperate midlatitude eastern
boundary current systems (Sverdrup et al. 1942). Of global significance
is the fact that the Sanctuary lies at the end of the oceanic conveyor belt
(Broecker 1991) and therefore receives some of the oldest ocean waters in
the world. The water upwelling off our coast last saw daylight in the North
Atlantic and the Southern Ocean; as a consequence, its composition reflects
over 1000 years of transit and regeneration.
Next - Section II. Chemical Sources
Chemical Oceanography Table of Contents
