This report on water column primary production in the Columbia River Estuary was prepared for the Columbia River Data Development Program by Drs. Bruce E. Frey and Lawrence F. Small of the College of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, and Dr. Ruben Lara-Lara, of the Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y Educacion Superior de Ensenada, Ensenada, Mexico. Also participating in this project were Ms. RaeDeane Leatham and Mr. Stanley Moore. This program was designed to study the water column primary production of the Columbia River Estuary, and the factors affecting primary production. Primary production, or photosynthesis, is carried out in the water column chiefly by small, free-floating algal cells which constitute the phytoplankton. Obtaining energy from sunlight, and using inorganic raw materials, the phytoplankton produce organic compounds to increase their own cell numbers. The phytoplankton become food for planktonic animals (the zooplankton) which in turn become food for larger animals. Thus the phytoplankton constitute the base of most marine and aquatic food webs. In the Columbia River Estuary, detritus (non-living organic particles) may also be a significant food source for zooplankton.
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