The Use of Bacteriological Variables for the Characterization of Different Water Bodies

Studies on the Mediterranean Undercurrent in the Gulf of Cádiz showed that bacterial abundance and biomass as well as heterotrophic activity were higher in the water of Mediterranean origin in 500–800 m depth than in the adjacent Atlantic water. Upwelling processes off Mauretania and Portugal were accompanied by high bacterial numbers (bacterial plate counts) in the mixed surface layer. Changes in the qualitative composition of the bacterial flora in the waters off West Africa and in the Arabian Gulf were explained by the introduction of dust from desert regions into the sea by aeolian transport. In the Western Baltic migration of fish was detected by the presence of special bacteria, which normally live on or in these animals. Regions with complex hydrographic structures such as the Western and Central Baltic Sea revealed interesting relationships between bacteriological abundance and activity on the one hand and characteristic physical and chemical properties, such as origin, salinity and O2/H2S‐content, on the other. The importance of bacteriological variables for the characterization of different water bodies is discussed.