Plankton Distribution in the Mediterranean Sea, 1962-1963

Abstract

Naval Oceanographic Office ships collected 34 plankton samples in the Mediterranean between 6 July 1962 and 24 August 1963. Species composition was quite similar throughout the sea. Ninety-four genera of plankters were identified from the western sector and 84 genera from the eastern sector. Seven of 11 major taxa were two to ten times more numerous in the western portion of the sea and only two of these taxa proved more numerous in the eastern portion. About 20 percent of the forms listed were bioluminescent. Many plankters enter the Mediterranean from the Atlantic through the Strait of Gibraltar and are swept eastward by the prevailing currents, becoming progressively scarcer towards the eastern sector of the sea.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1970
Accession Number
AD0872195

Entities

People

  • James A. Bruce

Organizations

  • Naval Oceanographic Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Aegean Sea
  • Animals
  • Aquatic Organisms
  • Bioluminescence
  • Cells
  • Chemistry
  • Classification
  • Eukaryotes
  • Italy
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mediterranean Sea
  • Mollusca
  • Oceans
  • Plankton
  • Plastic Explosives
  • Spain

Fields of Study

  • Environmental science

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • International Relations and European Studies
  • Vector-Borne Disease and Entomology