Abundance and Elemental Composition of Particulate Matter in the Upper Layer of Northeastern Mediterranean

Suspended particulate (POC PON, PP) profiles obtained in 1991-1994 indicate the existence of characteristic subsurface maxima near the base of the euphotic zone in the cyclonic Rhodes gyre and its peripheral waters in the Northeastern Mediterranean. Interestingly the N:P of the bulk seston was reasonable during stratification seasons when the surface water was relatively poor in phosphate; but the ratio was unexpectedly low (N:P=6-12) in the late winter of 1992 when the surface layer of Rhodes gyre was occupied with nutrient rich deep waters.