Trans-Atlantic responses of Calanus finmarchicus populations to basin-scale forcing associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation     

C. H. Greene  A. J. Pershing  A. Conversi  B. Planque  C. Hannah  D. Sameoto  E. Head  P. C. Smith  P. C. Reid  J. Jossi  D. Mountain  M. C. Benfield  P. H. Wiebe  E. Durbin 《Progress in Oceanography》2003,58(2-4):301

Populations of the copepod species Calanus finmarchicus often dominate the springtime biomass and secondary production of shelf ecosystems throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. Recently, it has been hypothesised that interannual to interdecadal fluctuations observed in such populations are driven primarily by climate-associated changes in ocean circulation. Here, we compare evidence from the North Sea and Gulf of Maine/Western Scotian Shelf (GoM/WSS) linking fluctuations in C. finmarchicus abundance to changes in ocean circulation associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). A particularly striking contrast emerges from this Trans-Atlantic comparison: whereas the North Sea C. finmarchicus population exhibits a negative correlation with the NAO index, the GoM/WSS population exhibits a more complex, positive association with the index. The physical processes underlying these contrasting population responses are discussed in the context of regional- to basin-scale circulation changes associated with the NAO.  相似文献   

Spatial and seasonal patterns in abundance and age-composition of Calanus finmarchicus in the Gulf of Maine and on Georges Bank: 1977–1987     

C. J. Meise  J. E. O'Reilly 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》1996,43(7-8)

The mean seasonal cycle and distribution of various life history stages of C. finmarchicus throughout the Georges Bank (GB)-Gulf of Maine (GOM) region were characterized based on 5966 MARMAP zooplankton samples collected during 106 surveys over a 10-year period (autumn 1977–autumn 1987). A high degree of seasonal and spatial variability in C. finmarchicus abundance throughout the region was evident in contoured portrayals of data, grouped into standard stations and 2-month “seasons”.Eight subareas of the Gulf of Maine-Georges Bank region were identified through cluster analysis of standard stations having similar seasonal patterns in mean abundance of C. finmarchicus stages C3, C4, C5 and adults. These were the northern Gulf of Maine (Northern GOM); southern Gulf of Maine (Southern GOM); Scotian Shelf-coastal Gulf of Maine (Scotian-Coastal GOM); Mass Bay; tidally mixed Georges Bank (Mixed GB); tidal front on the Bank separating mixed from seasonally stratified water (Tidal Front GB); seasonally stratified water on the Bank (Stratified GB) and the Continental Slope adjacent to Georges Bank (SLOPE).A distinct seasonal abundance cycle was present in all subareas, but, the magnitude and timing of annual maxima varied greatly among subareas. Peak abundance was reached early (March–April) in Mixed GB, Tidal Front GB and Mass Bay, and late (July–August) in Northern GOM and Scotian-Coastal GOM. Remaining subareas had maxima in May–June. Abundance increased 10-fold from January–February to March–April and decreased sharply from July–August to September–October in all areas except southern GOM and northern GOM. The amplitude of the annual cycle was weakest in northern GOM and southern GOM, where high concentrations of C. finmarchicus persisted year-round, and strongest in the tidally mixed shallow water on GB, where the sparsest densities of C. finmarchicus occurred most of the year. Abundance curves for the various areas converged in March–April, when C. finmarchicus was ubiquitously very abundant (> 10⁴/10 m²), and diverged from September to December.C. finmarchicus stage distribution in the GB-GOM area was highly negatively correlated with mean water column temperature during the stratified season. This seemed more related to the hydrography of the region, which isolates warmer well mixed Georges Bank from the Gulf of Maine and the stratified areas on the Bank, than to temperature, because Calanus abundances decline on the Bank before water temperatures exceed their preferences.A large part of the spatial and seasonal variation in C. finmarchicus abundance and age structure appears to be tightly coupled to major hydrographic regimes and to major circulation patterns in the region. There was a sharp ecotone between well-mixed Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine as defined by C. finmarchicus abundance patterns and life history distributions. The ecotone is present year-round but is most apparent during the stratified season (May–October), when thermohaline density gradients and the near-surface current jet along the northern flank are generally strongest. The Gulf of Maine had the highest abundances of C. finmarchicus, and lowest spatial and seasonal variation in the region, while tidally mixed Georges Banks displayed the opposite pattern. This indication of stable population centers in the Gulf of Maine would make it a major source of Calanus in the region, particularly during March–April. Distributional patterns also suggest a strong Calanus influence from Scotian Shelf water in northern Gulf of Maine and on the southern flank of Georges Bank.  相似文献   

Source regions for recruitment of Calanus finmarchicus to Georges Bank: evidence from molecular population genetic analysis of mtDNA     

Ann Bucklin  Thomas D. Kocher 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》1996,43(7-8)

Molecular population genetic analysis has provided evidence that the copepod, Calanus finmarchicus, of the Labrador Current, Gulf of St Lawrence, Scotian Shelf, Gulf of Maine, and Georges Bank constitute a single, interbreeding population. The DNA sequence of a 350 base pair portion of the mitochondrial large subunit (16S) ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene was determined for a total of 72 individuals collected in 1992, and 110 individuals collected in 1993 from these regions. There was significant heterogeneity in haplotype frequencies among the samples collected in 1992, but this heterogeneity did not resolve into regional patterns. The only regional differences seen were between pooled samples of the western N. Atlantic and those of the Norwegian Sea. There were no significant differences in haplotype frequencies among the samples collected in 1993, and fewer haplotypes were observed in these samples. Intraspecific molecular variation was typical of other marine species: there were 29 haplotypes among the 182 individuals sequenced. The frequency distribution of the haplotypes was highly skewed: 128 individuals shared one haplotype and 19 individuals were unique. There were 24 variable sites among the 350 bases sequenced; estimated nucleotide diversity was 0.0042. The genetic character of C. finmarchicus populations in the western N. Atlantic was stable over time in that three of the haplotypes (including the most abundant) occurred in both 1992 and 1993. However, haplotype frequencies differed significantly between the two years. The lack of regional structure in the 1992 samples and the genetic homogeneity of samples collected in 1993 across the domain from the Labrador Current to the Gulf of St Lawrence to Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine indicated that there is significant gene flow across this region. The persistent genetic pattern suggests that the Gulf of St Lawrence may be an important source region for recruitment of C. finmarchicus to Georges Bank. Determination of zooplankton dispersal patterns within high gene flow species will provide information that may not be determined by conventional oceanographic analyses.  相似文献   

The Continuous Plankton Recorder survey and the North Atlantic Oscillation: Interannual- to Multidecadal-scale patterns of phytoplankton variability in the North Atlantic Ocean     

A. D. Barton  C. H. Greene  B. C. Monger  A. J. Pershing 《Progress in Oceanography》2003,58(2-4):337

At interannual to multidecadal time scales, much of the oceanographic and climatic variability in the North Atlantic Ocean can be associated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). While evidence suggests that there is a relationship between the NAO and zooplankton dynamics in the North Atlantic Ocean, the phytoplankton response to NAO-induced changes in the environment is less clear. Time series of monthly mean phytoplankton colour values, as compiled by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, are analysed to infer relationships between the NAO and phytoplankton dynamics throughout the North Atlantic Ocean. While a few areas display highly significant (p < 0.05) trends in the CPR colour time series during the period 1948–2000, nominally significant (p < 0.20) positive trends are widespread across the basin, particularly on the continental shelves and in a transition zone stretching across the Central North Atlantic. When long-term trends are removed from both the NAO index and CPR colour time series, the correlation between them ceases to be significant. Several hypotheses are proposed to explain the observed variability in the CPR colour and its relationship with climate in the North Atlantic.  相似文献   

The CPR survey (1948–1997): a gridded database browser of plankton abundance in the North Sea     

L. Vezzulli  P. C. Reid 《Progress in Oceanography》2003,58(2-4):327

  相似文献   

Inter-decadal variability in zooplankton and phytoplankton abundance on the Newfoundland and Scotian shelves     

E.J.H. Head  D.D. Sameoto 《Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography》2007,54(23-26):2686

Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) sampling on the Newfoundland and Scotian shelves covers three multi-year periods characterised by negative (1962–1971), positive (1992–2000) and negative/neutral (2001–2003) values of the NAO index. Water temperatures respond differently to changes in the NAO in different regions: a positive NAO index tends to lead to reduced temperatures on the Newfoundland shelf and to increased temperatures on the central/western Scotian shelf, and a negative NAO index to the reverse. Since the 1960s, the hydrographic changes due to the NAO have been superimposed on a freshening of the water column throughout the region, which is attributed to increased contribution of Arctic water outflow. Changes in plankton abundance measured by the CPR for the three time periods were generally, but not always, similar on the Newfoundland and eastern and western regions of the Scotian shelf, although Arctic species (e.g. Calanus glacialis, Calanus hyperboreus) were notably more abundant and warm water species (e.g. Metridia lucens, euphausiids) less abundant on the Newfoundland shelf than on the Scotian shelf. Three categories of phytoplankton (colour, diatoms, dinoflagellates) increased in abundance in the 1990s, and these increases generally persisted into 2001–2003. This is believed to be a response to the persistent freshening of the water column, probably due to increased stratification. The Arctic species C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus also showed persistent increases in abundance after 1992, perhaps due to increased transport from the Arctic, although the abundance of the Arctic slope water species Metridia longa decreased. Two groups, Calanus 1–4 and euphausiids, both thought to play important roles in the food chain, showed persistent decreases in abundance after 1992, especially on the Newfoundland shelf. In all regions, Calanus finmarchicus 5–6, Oithona spp. and Centropages hamatus abundance changed in association with variations in the NAO, although no common mechanism could be identified. C. finmarchicus 5–6 abundance decreased in the 1990s and increased after 2001, while the other two species showed the opposite pattern. Centropages typicus and M. lucens abundance on the Scotian shelf increased with rising temperature. This is attributed to increased production rates for the former and an increased influx of warm, M. lucens-rich, slope water on to the shelf for the latter. A comparison between ring net and CPR sampling on the Newfoundland shelf suggests that the Calanus 1–4 category is dominated by C. finmarchicus and that late stage C. glacialis and C. hyperboreus are grossly under-sampled compared to late stage C. finmarchicus.  相似文献   

Development of the Southern Ocean Continuous Plankton Recorder survey     

G. W. Hosie  M. Fukuchi  S. Kawaguchi   《Progress in Oceanography》2003,58(2-4):263

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Type I was first used in Antarctic waters during the 1925–1927 Discovery Expedition, and has been used successfully for 70 years to monitor plankton in the North Sea and North Atlantic Ocean. Sixty-five years later the CPR as a Type II version returned to Antarctic waters when the Australian Antarctic Division initiated a survey of the Southern Ocean on RSV Aurora Australis south of Australia and west to Mawson. The objectives are to study regional, seasonal, interannual and long-term variability in zooplankton abundance, species composition and community patterns, as well as the annual abundance and distribution of krill larvae. The survey covers a large area from 60°E to 160°E, and south from about 48°S to the Antarctic coast—an area of more than 14 million km². Tows are conducted throughout the shipping season, normally September to April, but occasionally as early as July (midwinter). The large areal and temporal scale means that it is difficult to separate temporal and geographical variation in the data. Hence, CPRs are now also towed on the Japanese icebreaker Shirase in collaboration with the Japanese Antarctic programme. Shirase has a fixed route and time schedule, travelling south on 110°E in early December and north on 150°E in mid-March each year, and will serve as an important temporal reference for measuring long-term interannual variability and to help interpret the Australian data. Since 1991, over 90 tows have been made, providing over 36,000 nautical miles of records. The most successful seasons to date have been the 1997/1998, 1999/2000 and 2000/2001 austral summers with 20, 31 and 26 tows, respectively. The 1999/2000 season included a unique, nearly simultaneous three-ship crossing of the Southern Ocean along 25° 30’E, 110°E and 157°E. Typical CPR tows show very high abundance of zooplankton in the uppermost 20 m of the permanently open ocean zone between the sea-ice zone and the Sub-Antarctic Front; this is an area thought to be oligotrophic. Appendicularians and small calanoid and cyclopoid copepods dominate the plankton. By comparison the surface waters of the sea-ice zone have low species diversity and abundances. Zooplankton data, and hence distribution patterns, can be time- and geo-coded to GPS data and environmental data collected by the ships’ underway monitoring system (e.g. fluorescence, water temperature, salinity, and meteorological data).  相似文献   

Input of metals to the North Atlantic from two large Canadian estuaries     

P.A. Yeats 《Marine Chemistry》1993,43(1-4)

The freshwater discharge from the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Hudson Bay accounts for more than 80% of the total freshwater discharge from eastern Canada and approximately 70% of the total discharge from the eastern seaboard of North America, from Baffin Island to Florida. If the Gulf of Mexico is included, the Gulf of St. Lawrence/Hudson Bay discharge is still more than half of the total.Both the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Hudson Bay have some distinctly estuarine characteristics and discharges of metals can be estimated using estuarine models. For Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Zn, the distributions can be described by simple, highly significant relationships with salinity. These regressions can be used in conjunction with knowledge of water discharges to estimate net metal inputs to the North Atlantic from these two systems.Most of the discharge from the Gulf of St. Lawrence flows along the Scotian Shelf to the Gulf of Maine. Metal-salinity relationships can also be used to estimate metal transports through this region for some metals. The applicability of this estuarine model, however, tends to break down as the oceanography becomes more complex and metal distributions are determined more by oceanic rather than estuarine processes.  相似文献   

Numerical study of the storm-induced circulation on the Scotian Shelf during Hurricane Juan using a nested-grid ocean model   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Jinyu Sheng  Xiaoming Zhai  Richard J. Greatbatch 《Progress in Oceanography》2006,70(2-4):233

A nested-grid ocean circulation modelling system is used to assess the upper ocean response of the Scotian Shelf and adjacent slope to Hurricane Juan in September 2003. The nested-grid system consists of a fine-grid inner model covering the Scotian Shelf/slope and a coarse-grid outer model covering the northwest Atlantic Ocean. The model-calculated upper ocean response to Hurricane Juan is characterized by large divergent surface currents forced by the local wind forcing under the storm, and intense near-inertial currents in the wake of the storm. The sea surface temperature (SST) cooling produced by the model is biased to the right of the storm track and agrees well with a satellite-derived analysis. Over the deep water, off the Scotian Shelf, some of the near-inertial energy input by the storm is advected eastward by the Gulf Stream away from the storm track. The hurricane also generates shelf waves that propagate equatorward with the coastline on their right. In comparison with the outer model results, the inner model captures more meso-scale structures, greater SST cooling and stronger near-inertial currents in the study region.  相似文献   

An overview of statistical methods applied to CPR data     

G. Beaugrand  F. Ibaez  J. A. Lindley 《Progress in Oceanography》2003,58(2-4):235

Since the beginning of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey in 1931, information on the abundance of a large number of plankton species or taxa has been obtained on a monthly basis in the northern North Atlantic. The many different ecological issues in which the survey has been involved have led to the application of a range of statistical methods. In this paper, we review some of the methods applied to the CPR data by presenting new and up-to-date analyses. Special attention is devoted to multivariate analysis, which has been used extensively to extract information from the CPR database. Results obtained from recently applied geostatistical methods on CPR data are then considered. An example of a time series decomposition by the use of Eigenvector filtering is presented to illustrate time-series analysis.  相似文献   

Regional decoupling between NW Atlantic barnacle recruit and adult density is related to changes in pelagic food supply and benthic disturbance     

Stephen W.B. Cole  Ricardo A. Scrosati  Jamie C. Tam  Andrea V. Sussmann 《Journal of Sea Research》2011,65(1):33-37

We investigated the regional variation in barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) recruit and adult abundance on the NW Atlantic coast. At the end of the recruitment season (June–July), we sampled wave-exposed rocky intertidal sites in two regions on the open Atlantic coast (Maine, AM, and Nova Scotia, AN) and in two regions on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast (Northumberland Strait, GN, and Cape Breton Island, GC). Recruit density was highest in the southernmost region (AM), followed by GN and, then, by AN and GC. Regional values of nearshore primary productivity (satellite data of chlorophyll-a concentration, a surrogate for phytoplankton abundance) were highest for AM and GN, suggesting that food supply (barnacles are filter feeders) is an important factor determining regional recruitment patterns. Adult barnacle density was regionally decoupled from recruit density. Adults occurred in very low abundances on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast (GN and GC) and were relatively abundant on the Atlantic coast (AM and AN), although always in much lower abundances than recruits. The low adult densities on the Gulf of St. Lawrence coast seem to result mainly from intense ice scour, as this coast freezes extensively every winter, as opposed to the ice-free Atlantic coast. Ice scour thus appears to override regional recruitment differences in determining adult density. Therefore, our data suggest that both pelagic food supply and benthic disturbance contribute to setting regional patterns in barnacle population structure on the NW Atlantic coast.  相似文献   

Comparison between zooplankton data collected by the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey in the English Channel and by WP-2 nets at station L4, Plymouth (UK)     

Eurgain H. John  Sonia D. Batten  Roger P. Harris  Graeme C. Hays 《Journal of Sea Research》2001,46(3-4)

Zooplankton sampling has been carried out by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey since the 1930s enabling the study of long-term changes in plankton populations, the elucidation of seasonal patterns of abundance, and more recently providing zooplankton biomass estimates for ecosystem models. Data for zooplankton abundance collected by CPR tows in the Western English Channel (between 1988 and 1998) were compared to vertically integrated samples collected from station L4 off Plymouth, UK. Comparisons were made for locally abundant copepods (including Acartia, Calanus, Para/Pseudocalanus, Centropages, Oithona and Temora) collected by CPR and WP-2 nets. All dominant species recorded at L4 were also common to the CPR data. However, the position of the taxa in the two datasets was not equivalent. Seasonal cycles revealed by CPR data were significantly similar to those recorded throughout the water column at L4 for most taxa. However, absolute levels of abundance differed for the two datasets: abundances were underestimated by CPR samples when compared to those of vertically integrated samples by a factor of between 2 and 35, with the exception of Centropages. The differing mesh sizes (200 and 270 μm) of the WP-2 net and CPR mesh could only partially explain these differences in abundance, implying that the behaviour of individual taxa and their depth in the water column also influenced the abundance recorded.  相似文献   

A comparison of community and trophic structure in five marine ecosystems based on energy budgets and system metrics   总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0  

Sarah Gaichas  Georg Skaret  Jannike Falk-Petersen  Jason S. Link  William Overholtz  Bernard A. Megrey  Harald Gjster  William T. Stockhausen  Are Dommasnes  Kevin D. Friedland  Kerim Aydin 《Progress in Oceanography》2009,81(1-4):47

  相似文献   

Seasonal and spatial dynamics of Centropages typicus and C. hamatus in the western North Atlantic     

《Progress in Oceanography》2007,72(2-3):249-258

Centropages typicus and Centropages hamatus are two of the most abundant copepods on the continental shelf in the mid-Atlantic region of the western North Atlantic. Their range extends from the Scotian Shelf (C. typicus) and the Grand Banks (C. hamatus) in the north to Cape Hatteras in the south. South of Cape Hatteras they have only been observed in inshore waters of North and South Carolina and not offshore on the continental shelf or in coastal waters of eastern Florida. However, C. hamatus has been observed in western Florida. Abundances of both species are greatest in inshore regions in the mid-Atlantic Bight with C. hamatus tending to have a more coastal distribution. In this region seasonal variability is low with high abundances from late fall through mid-summer. In the north year-round presence of both species is confined to inshore areas and offshore banks such as Georges Bank, and Browns Bank, Emerald Bank and Western Bank on the Scotian Shelf. In this northern region there is a pronounced seasonal cycle in abundance with high abundances during late summer and fall. Periods of high reproductive rates are closely linked to blooms of large phytoplankton and food availability rather than temperature appears to be controlling population abundances.  相似文献   

Cross-shore separation of adult and juvenile euphausiids in a shelf-break alongshore current     

Beiwei Lu  David L. Mackas  Douglas F. Moore 《Progress in Oceanography》2003,57(3-4):381

Euphausiids are an important component of the zooplankton in boundary current upwelling regions, including the Pacific Northwest continental margin. Many aspects of euphausiid distribution and ecology in this region are well known. However, some features of their spatial and temporal distribution are less understood:

• How and why euphausiids aggregate near the shelf-break upwelling center.

• How and why there is (within an alongshore band of high abundance of all stages) spatial segregation of adults and larvae.

• Why, despite spatial association with upwelling, euphausiid abundance off Vancouver Island is weakly or negatively correlated at interannual time scales with upwelling intensity.

To address these, we made km-resolution surveys of adult, juvenile, and larval euphausiid horizontal distributions, water properties, and currents across the Vancouver Island shelf break in mid-to-late spring of two successive years. Survey timing was before (1997) and after (1998) the spring transition to upwelling conditions, and near the annual spring reproductive peak. In both years, early developmental stages occupied an alongshore band that was offset from the late juveniles and adults. The direction of the offset differed between the two surveys. Early life history stages (larvae and early juveniles) were shoreward of adults in April 1997 (downwelling-conditions), but seaward of adults in May 1998 (upwelling-conditions). Separation distance (order 5–10 km) was consistent with expected differences in cumulative wind-driven (and vertically-sheared) cross-shore transport of surface-dwelling larvae and early juveniles vs. transport of diel migratory late juveniles and adults. Separation direction was consistent with recent history of winds and Ekman transport—shoreward during poleward winds, and seaward into blue water (and usually into a strong equatorward current) during equatorward winds.  相似文献   

Using continuous plankton recorder data     

A.J. Richardson  A.W. Walne  T.D. Jonas  D.W. Sims  M. Witt 《Progress in Oceanography》2006,68(1):27-74

  相似文献   

Use of Continuous Plankton Recorder information in support of marine management: applications in fisheries, environmental protection, and in the study of ecosystem response to environmental change   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

K. M. Brander  R. R. Dickson  M. Edwards 《Progress in Oceanography》2003,58(2-4):175

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey was conceived from the outset as a programme of applied research designed to assist the fishing industry. Its survival and continuing vigour after 70 years is a testament to its utility, which has been achieved in spite of great changes in our understanding of the marine environment and in our concerns over how to manage it. The CPR has been superseded in several respects by other technologies, such as acoustics and remote sensing, but it continues to provide unrivalled seasonal and geographic information about a wide range of zooplankton and phytoplankton taxa. The value of this coverage increases with time and provides the basis for placing recent observations into the context of long-term, large-scale variability and thus suggesting what the causes are likely to be. Information from the CPR is used extensively in judging environmental impacts and producing quality status reports (QSR); it has shown the distributions of fish stocks, which had not previously been exploited; it has pointed to the extent of ungrazed phytoplankton production in the North Atlantic, which was a vital element in establishing the importance of carbon sequestration by phytoplankton.The CPR continues to be the principal source of large-scale, long-term information about the plankton ecosystem of the North Atlantic. It has recently provided extensive information about the biodiversity of the plankton and about the distribution of introduced species. It serves as a valuable example for the design of future monitoring of the marine environment and it has been essential to the design and implementation of most North Atlantic plankton research.  相似文献   

About the correlation between the distribution of the azooxantellate scleractinian corals and the abundance of the zooplankton in the surface waters     

N. B. Keller  N. S. Oskina 《Oceanology》2009,49(6):811-823

The correlation between the azooxantellate scleractinian coral distribution and the abundance of the zooplankton in the Atlantic Ocean is discussed. The analysis is based on a dataset of 943 specimens (82 species) sampled at 87 stations that were performed during the scientific cruises of Russian research vessels in the Atlantic. The hypothesis concerning if the coral biodiversity and population density correlate with the zooplankton abundance was tested. The relationships between these parameters are contradictory. High coral biodiversity and population density were registered for the areas of low and average zooplankton abundance in the surface waters.  相似文献   

Pilot Census of marine life in the Gulf of Maine: contributions of technology     

《Oceanologica Acta》2002,25(5):213-218

Recent advances in physical oceanography, sampling and observation tools, and data management methods are sufficient to enable a wide range of organisms in the Gulf of Maine to be quantified and related both to other organisms and to the physical habitat. A pilot Census of marine life in the Gulf of Maine would advance the goals of ecosystem understanding and management in a timely manner. A prerequisite is knowledge of the distribution and abundance of the organisms that inhabit, both permanently and transiently, the Gulf of Maine and adjacent waters, namely those of Georges Bank, Browns Bank, and Slope Sea, including the New England seamounts. Both systematic and synoptic investigations of a spectrum of marine life are needed to supplement current data holdings, which, if extensive with respect to fish and certain marine mammals, are sparse with respect to the larger biogeography of the system. Technology offers the means of collecting and organizing such data. Efficiency in collection argues for dividing the spectrum of marine life into a number of functional groups, whose constituent organisms can be observed or sampled by the same or similar techniques. Five groups are identified: offshore subtidal benthos, intertidal and nearshore subtidal benthos, plankton, fish and squid, and large marine animals and seabirds. Associated tools of observation and sampling are listed and illustrated for two categories: high-frequency scientific echo sounders and underwater video microscopes. Parameters of the physical habitat are listed, and the power of the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System to define the physical oceanography is noted. Issues of data management, systems, and uses are described. Some benefits of a pilot census are noted. For the scientific community, these include making available biogeographic data that can support the formulation of data-based hypotheses. Testing these in the Gulf of Maine and adjacent waters may enable new knowledge of the particular ecosystem to be extended to distant ecosystems.  相似文献   

Impact of El Niño events and climate regime shift on living resources in the western North Pacific     

Takashige Sugimoto  Shingo Kimura  Kazuaki Tadokoro 《Progress in Oceanography》2001,49(1-4)

Features of El Niño events and their biological impacts in the western North Pacific are reviewed, focusing on interactions between ENSO and the East Asian monsoon. Impacts of El Niño on the climate in the Far East become evident as ‘cool summers and warm winters’. Effects of climate regime shift on ENSO activities, western boundary currents and upper-ocean stratification, as well as their biological consequences are summarized. These have been:

1. In the western equatorial Pacific, an eastward extension of the warm pool associated with El Niño events induces an eastward shift of main fishing grounds of skip jack and big eye tunas.

2. The surface salinity front in the North Equatorial Current region retreats southward, associated with El Niño events. This leads to a southward shift of the spawning ground of Japanese eel, which is responsible for a reduction in the transport of the larval eels to the Kuroshio and Japanese coastal region, causing poor recruitment.

3. Intensification of winter cooling and vertical mixing associated with La Niña (El Niño) events in the northern subtropical region of the western (central) North Pacific reduces surface chlorophyll concentration levels and larval feeding condition for both Japanese sardines and the autumn cohort of Neon squid during winter–early spring. The semi-decadal scale calm winter that occurred during the early 1970s triggered the first sharp increase of sardine stock around Japan.

4. A remarkable weakening of southward intrusion of the Oyashio off the east coast of Japan during 1988–91, resulted in a decrease in chlorophyll concentrations and mesozooplankton biomass in late spring–early summer of the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition region. Changes occurred in the dominant species of small pelagic fish, through successive recruitment failures of Japanese sardine.