Total System Metabolism of the Plum Island Sound Estuarine System.

In early summer 1995, we surveyed total system metabolism in the Plum Island estuary. Objectives included (1) estimation of ecosystem metabolism via open-water oxygen measurements, (2) determination of the autotrophic and heterotrophic regions of the estuary, and (3) comparison of the loading of organic carbon from the watershed to measurements of autochthonous production. Metabolism was calculated using two techniques: (1) 24-h Lagrangian surveys at three points in the riverine portion of the estuary at conductivities 2.7 mS/cm, 20.1 mS/cm, and 38.1 mS/ cm, and (2) eight dissolved oxygen (DO) transects along the entire length of the estuary, including Plum Island Sound, from