Table 2. Comparison of particle volume and chemical composition 

 in BNL, as in Table 1. 



Location Date Particle Protein 2 PC 3 PN 3 ATP 4 Chla 4 



Volume-*- 



Jordan Basin 16&17 410* 0.69 



18&19 540* 0.57 



All 460 0.65 



Mt. Desert I 17&18 470 0.57 



1 ppb 2 u mol Pr-N/L 3 u mol/L 4 u g/L 



significant decrease in the C/N ratio and chlorophyll a made up a 

 higher proportion of both total pigment and total protein 

 biomass. On the other hand, C/ATP ratios were significantly 

 higher on the second date, indicating more detrital carbon. 

 However, C/ATP ratios obtained in this study were generally 

 high, even in the surface layer (Table 6), which suggested a 

 problem with the ATP extraction or analysis. 



There were fewer significant differences between the two 

 locations. There were less bacteria (Table 1) and chlorophyll 

 (Table 2) at Jordan Basin. While there was no difference in 

 total protozoa >35 urn, there were virtually no Sticholonche and 

 many more radiolarians at Jordan Basin (Fig. 6). Higher C/N 

 ratios and lower Chl/Pr ratios at Jordan Basin (Table 3) are 

 indicative of more refractory material with a lower proportion of 

 chlorophyll. Thus, the BNL is less biologically enhanced in 

 Jordan Basin than at Mt. Desert Island, despite the greater 

 enhancement of the surface layer at the station. 



Comparisons of the BNL and clear water. 



In the description of water column profiles, it was implied 

 that the BNL was biologically enhanced over the clear water just 

 above. There are only a few analyses with enough data for this 

 comparison and the two dates in Jordan Basin must be dealt with 

 separately (Tables 4-6). At the Mt. Desert Island station the 

 only significant difference between the BNL and clearer water was 

 in the volume of particles suspended in the water, which is in 

 accordance with the transmissometry . Thus, the BNL at Mt. Desert 

 Island was not biologically enhanced over the clearer water. At 

 the Jordan Basin station the particle volume, protein 

 concentrations, and Chl/protein ratios were always higher in the 

 BNL. On at least one date the numbers of autotrophic 

 nanoplankton were higher, the % of undegraded chlorophyll a was 



196 



