•Upper
ocean spatial variations were strongest for composite nutrient profiles; deeper waters were relatively
invariant
•Offshore-onshore
variations in mixed layer nutrients were pronounced, especially for ammonia, with Marguerite
Bay providing a significant endmember.
•Nearshore
mixed-layer ammonia maxima were co-located with a coastal current, at least in year 1 of GLOBEC
•Mixed-layer
nitrate, phosphate, and silica concentrations appeared in steady-state, while ammonia concentrations
and standing stocks showed strong, erratic seasonal and year-to-year declines.
•An
inverse -3 mol:mol relationship between nitrate and ammonia existed throughout all GLOBEC cruises and for an
autumn JGOFS Ross Sea cruise.
•Silica
was an excellent tracer of upwelling and horizontal injection of offshore waters onto the West Antarctic
Shelf
•
•