Nutrient and oxygen redistribution during a spring neap tidal cycle in a temperature estuary.

Spring tidal currents produce homogeneous water columns in a number of estuaries that are moderately stratified during neap tides. In the York River estuary, this destratification redistributes ammonium and phosphate regenerated by the benthos as well as oxygen from the surface. This redistribution has significant implications for nutrient cycles, organism distributions, and the management of estuaries.