Dissolved manganese and silicic acid in the Columbia River plume: A major source to the California current and coastal waters off Washington and Oregon

The spatial distributions of dissolved manganese and nutrients were examined in the Columbia River plume off Oregon and Washington during the summer of 2004 and 2005 as part of the River Influence on Shelf Ecosystems (RISE) program. Factors influencing the hydrochemical characteristics of the freshly formed and aged Columbia River plume were investigated. Hydrographic data and nutrient concentrations were used to delineate three distinct water sources for the Columbia River Plume: California Current surface water, coastal upwelled water, and Columbia River water. The warm, intermediate salinity, nutrient poor California Current water contains low levels of dissolved manganese (< 5 nM) and silicic acid (< 5 μM), and is depleted in nitrate. The cold, high salinity, nutrient rich, freshly upwelled water is highly variable (2–20 nM) in dissolved manganese and can be as high as ∼ 45 μM in silicic acid and ∼ 30 μM nitrate. The variable Columbia River has summer temperatures ranging from ∼ 13 to 24 °C, high silicic acid concentrations (ranging from ∼ 120 to 200 μM), and lower nitrate concentrations (ranging from ∼ 2 to 20 μM). During the summer, the concentrations of silicic acid and dissolved manganese can exceed 100 μM and 200 nM, respectively, in near-field Columbia River plumes. These values are markedly greater than those of surface coastal waters (even during upwelling conditions). As the plume advects and mixes, the concentrations of these two constituents remain relatively high within plume waters. The concentrations of dissolved manganese in the near-field plume vary with tidal amplitude, exhibiting much higher concentrations for a given salinity during spring tides than during neap tides. For example, the Columbia River plume at a salinity of 20 has a concentration of dissolved manganese of ∼ 240 nM during spring tides, as compared to only ∼ 60 nM during low amplitude tides. Silicic acid concentrations in the near-field plume remain relatively constant throughout the tidal month. Calculations indicate there is roughly an equivalent yearly delivery of dissolved manganese and silicic acid to the coastal waters off Oregon and Washington by upwelled waters and by the Columbia River plume.