Characterization of the Zooplankton Community and Size Composition in Relation to Hydrography and Circulation in the Sea of Japan
Abstract
Regional zooplankton taxonomic and size compositions and abundance and the high resolution vertical distribution of plankton, fluorescence, and coincident hydrography were described using the Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) along a 7000 km survey of the upper 80 meters of the Japan East Sea (JES) during the summer of 1999. Plankton were collected at 15 stations using a net for analysis of taxa and size. Plankton images from the VPR were identified automatically at sea in real time using a neural network classifier. The most abundant taxa were copepods, copepod nauplii, protozoa, and diatoms, with copepods dominant numerically. The northern JES, southern JES, and North Korean Cold Current were distinct based on temperature-salinity properties and had different plankton taxonomic and size compositions. The vertical distributions of copepods and fluorescence were associated with hydrographic structure, especially at fronts. Plankton abundance varied with regional hydrographic regional and environmental conditions, although strong associations were not always observed. (2 figures)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 31, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA429288
Entities
People
- Cabell S. Davis
- Carin Ashjian
- Philip Alatalo
- Scott M. Gallager
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution