VARIABILITY OF THE COASTAL CURRENT AND NUTRIENT PATHWAYS IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MAINE

The E Maine coastal current flows SW-ward, carrying cold and nutrient-rich waters along the coast from the tidally stirred E gulf toward the C and W gulf, where in summer the waters are warmer and more stratified. The current typically turns offshore before reaching Penobscot Bay, near the central coast, at a location determined largely by the distribution of dense slope water in Jordan Basin. The slope water, which enters the gulf as a deep inflow from the Atlantic Ocean, thus plays a major role in determining the intensity, direction and timing of the delivery of nutrients to the interior gulf. -from Authors

VARIABILITY OF THE COASTAL CURRENT AND NUTRIENT PATHWAYS IN THE EASTERN GULF OF MAINE Academic Article