[Submission]: Zooplankton Indices

[sgaichas]

Primary Contact

Sarah.Gaichas@noaa.gov

Secondary Contact

No response

Data Name (This will be the displayed title in Catalog)

Zooplankton Indices

Indicator Name (as exists in ecodata)

New Indicator

Family (Which group is this indicator associated with?)

• Oceanographic
• Habitat
• Lower trophic levels
• Megafauna
• Social
• Economic

Data Description

Model-based abundance indices for zooplankton groups sampled by NEFSC surveys

Introduction to Indicator (Please explain your indicator)

Zooplankton are primary consumers in marine ecosystems that transfer energy from phytoplankton to fish, marine mammals, and birds. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center has conducted zooplankton surveys since the 1970s. Spatially explicit indices of abundance for several zooplankton groups were estimated using spatio-temporal modeling.

The groups include:

Copepods

• Calanus finmarchicus, = Large copeopds SOE (used in small-large index)

• Large copepods ALL: Calanus finmarchicus, Metridia lucens, Calanus minor, Eucalanus spp., Calanus spp.

• Small copepods ALL: Centropages typicus, Pseudocalanus spp., T_emora longicornis_, Centropages hamatus, Paracalanus parvus, Acartia spp., Clausocalanus arcuicornis, Acartia longiremis, Clausocalanus furcatus, Temora stylifera, Temora spp., Tortanus discaudatus, Paracalanus spp.

• Small copeopods SOE (used in small-large index): Centropages typicus, Pseudocalanus spp., Temora longicornis, Centropages hamatus

Euphausiids

Zooplankton volume

Key Results and Visualization

Large and small copepod groups are mainly fluctuating without trend in both spring and fall across the EPUs. However, a significant decrease in small copeopods was apparent in the MAB during fall. Similarly, zooplankton volume is fluctuating without long term trends over time.

Euphausiids, in contrast, show increasing trends over time in all regions during fall, and in the MAB during spring.

ADD ANY CHANGED RESULTS WHEN SHORT TERM TREND PLOTS ARE IMPLEMENTED

Implications

Fluctuations in zooplankton community composition can affect both the consumption of phytoplanlton vs the export of energy to the benthos, as well as the availability of prey for zooplankton feeding forage fish, marine mammals, and seabirds.

The relative dominance of large and small copepods in Northeast US ecosystems has been liked to changes in fish productivity [@perretti_regime_2017; @Morse2017].

Spatial Scale

by EPU and full shelf

Temporal Scale

Spring (January-June), Fall (July-December)

Synthesis Theme

• Multiple System Drivers
• Regime Shifts
• Ecosystem Reorganization

Define Variables

Naming key

• Calanus finmarchicus (calfin_100m3) = “calfin” ,
• Large copepods (calfin_100m3, mlucens_100m3, calminor_100m3, euc_100m3, calspp_100m3) = “lgcopeALL”,
• Small copepods (all) (ctyp_100m3, pseudo_100m3, tlong_100m3, cham_100m3, para_100m3, acarspp_100m3, clauso, acarlong_100m3, fur_100m3, ost_100m3, temspp_100m3, tort_100m3, paraspp_100m3) = “smallcopeALL” and
• Small copepods (SOE) (ctyp_100m3, pseudo_100m3, tlong_100m3, cham_100m3) = “smallcopeSOE”.

Variables
TO BE ADDED ONCE DATA IN ECODATA, NOT ALL DATASETS COULD BE READ INTO FORM

Indicator Category

• Published Methods
• Extensive analysis, not yet published
• Syntheses of published information
• Database pull
• Database pull with analysis
• Other

If other, please specify indicator category

No response

Data Contributors

Sarah Gaichas and Harvey Walsh

Point(s) of Contact

Sarah Gaichas, Sarah.Gaichas@noaa.gov

Affiliation

NEFSC

Public Availability

Source data are NOT publicly available.

Accessibility and Constraints

Request from Harvey Walsh, harvey.walsh@noaa.gov