TABLE 2.

Bacterial abundance and thymidine incorporation rates in samples collected in the spring from the Columbia River, estuary, and adjacent coastal ocean

Sample location and site	Bacteria abundance (109 liter−1)			Thymidine incorporation rate (pmol liter−1 h−1)
	Mean	Range	n	Mean	Range	n
Columbia River
1997
Free-living				0.4	0.2–1.0	4
Particle attached				1.3	0.9–2.1	4
1996
Free-living				0.9	0.8–1.0	2
Particle attached				13.7	11.5–15.8	2
1995
Free-living				0.3	0.3–0.3	2
Particle attached				2.2	2.0–2.5	2
Columbia River estuary
1997
Free-living	1.8	0.9–3.8	10	1.0	0.1–2.6	35
Particle attached	2.4	0.7–5.1	10	7.7	0.3–31.7	35
1996
Free-living				8.9	0.2–37.3	20
Particle attached				57.4	12.8–104.4	20
1995
Free-living	1.4	0.7–2.6	56	3.1	0.2–7.7	54
Particle attached	3.3	0.1–12.6	56	38.4	12.0–90.1	54
Coastal ocean, 1997
Free-living				0.5	0.2–1.0	2
Particle attached				1.3	1.2–1.7	2