Visualization of Primary Productivity Zones Using Nitrogen Mass Balance Model in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Nutrient concentrations are important requirements for primary production in the coastal ocean, which provides an understanding of marine ecosystem. Evaluating nutrient impacts in the coastal areas is important to understand the marine ecology related to eutrophication and hypoxia. Among the nutrients in the ocean, the temperate coastal primary production is highly dependent on riverine nitrogen inputs. A nitrogen mass balance model is useful to estimate primary productivity in the coastal areas using historical observational data. Using a nitrogen mass balance model, this study calculated primary productivity in the coastal northern Gulf of Mexico, Texas, USA, in which hypoxia is frequently occurred. Based on the model results, three different productivity zones as brown, green, and blue, were identified and visualized. The visualization of three zones are expected to provide a better management of nutrients in the northern Gulf of Mexico for eutrophication and hypoxia.