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14 May 2009 – Finish Columbia River line and start dye studies.

Morning came and the seas did not improve much. The Point Sur is in the area riding out the storm with us. Forecasts call for better conditions in the afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed!

We decided to fight the bad weather and try sampling the Columbia River line starting with station CR-30.  CTD casts were conducted at CR-30, CR-25, CR-20, CR-15, CR-7 and CR-4.   We collected water at stations CR-30, CR-15, and CR-7 at three depths for chemistry measurements (NO3, NO2, NH4, PO4, Si, DOC, POC/N), chlorophyll-a, bacterial production, DNA/RNA, methane concentration, and alkaline phosphatase activity.  At CR-30 we sampled seven depths through the euphotic zone for a primary production rate measurement.

That afternoon, scientists aboard the R/V Point Sur injected fluorescein dye along an east-west transect through the Columbia River plume north of the mouth of the estuary.  The R/V New Horizon arrived at the dye site later that evening and sampled through the dye region at 2100.  This station was numbered dye01. Water was collected at 9 m (below the dye plume), and at 5 m (within the dye plume).  We then conducted four CTD casts to the N, S, E, and W of the water sampling point at a distance of 2.5 miles.  We did not detect dye at any of these other stations.