Abstract
BACKGROUND: Estuarine plumes are frequently under strong influence of land-derived inputs of organic matter. These plumes have characteristic physical and chemical conditions, and their morphology and extent in the coastal area depends strongly on physical conditions such as river discharge, tides and wind action. In this work we investigate the physical dynamics of the Tagus estuary plume and the CO(2) system response during two contrasting hydrological winter periods. A hydrodynamic model was used to simulate the circulation regime of the study area, thus providing relevant information on hydrodynamic processes controlling the plume. RESULTS: Model simulations show that for the studied periods, the major cause of the plume variability (size and shape) was the interaction between Tagus River discharge and wind. The freshwater intrusion on Tagus shelf exerted considerable influence on biochemical dynamics, allowing identification of two regions: a high nutrient region enriched in CO(2) inside the estuarine plume and another warmer region rich in phytoplankton in the outer plume. CONCLUSIONS: The Tagus estuarine plume behaved as a weak source of CO(2) to the atmosphere, with estimated fluxes of 3.5 ± 3.7 and 27.0 ± 3.8 mmol C m(-2) d(-1) for February 2004 and March 2001, respectively.