Following the Nutrients: Subsurface Lagrangian Pathways in the Gulf of Maine

The Gulf of Maine (GOM) is widely recognized as an important economic, cultural and ecological resource known for both its biodiversity and its commercially valuable fisheries. The most important source of nutrients to this incredible ecosystem has been shown to be the deep waters entering the GOM via the Northeast Channel. However, though the importance of the deep waters in the Channel have been recognized, questions remain regarding how, where and when those nutrients enter the photic zone and are spread throughout the GOM. Here, we use output from a high resolution model of the GOM and a particle tracking code in order to analyze the subsurface Lagrangian pathways of these waters. Both the mean Lagrangian pathways and variability in the subsurface pathways are discussed.