Abstract
A combination of observations and model results suggest a
mechanism by which coastal blooms of the toxic
dinoflagellate Alexandrium fundyense can be initiated from
dormant cysts located in offshore sediments. The mechanism
arises from the joint effects of organism behavior and the
wind-driven response of a surface-trapped plume of fresh
water originating from riverine sources. During
upwelling-favorable winds, the plume thins vertically and
extends offshore; downwelling winds thicken the plume and
confine it to the nearshore region. In the western Gulf of
Maine, the offshore extent of the river plume during
upwelling conditions is sufficient to entrain
upward-swimming A. fundyense cells germinated from offshore
cyst beds. Subsequent downwelling conditions then transport
those populations towards the coast.
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