REU: Acoustic Investigations of Copepods and Micronekton inthe Great South Channel

大南海峡地区有三种濒临灭绝的鲸鱼：露脊鲸、座头鲸和长须鲸，它们的主要猎物是浮游动物桡足类。南海峡海洋生产力实验（SCOPEX）将研究造成这些聚集的物理海洋学和生物/生态机制。利用空中和船只调查（视觉、声学、拖曳），将确定该地区露脊鲸和浮游动物的分布和数量。对这些动物的详细分布和行为观察，包括来自密集声纳和无线电标记研究的数据，初级生产评估和水文特征，将为关于聚集如何形成和维持的假设提供检验。本部分将重点介绍浮游动物分布和丰度的先进水声评估。

The Great South Channel region contains unusually abundant populations of three endangered whale species: right, humpback and fin whales, and their principle prey items in the zooplankton, copepods. The South Channel Ocean Productivity Experiment (SCOPEX) will look at the physical oceanographic and biological/ecological mechanisms responsible for these aggregations. Using both aerial and ship-based surveys (visual, acoustics, tows), the distribution and abundance of right whales and zooplankton in the region will be determined. Detailed distributional and behavioral observations of these animals, including data from intensive sonar and radio-tagging studies, primary production assessments and hydrographic characterization will provide tests of hypotheses on how the aggregations form and are maintained. This component will focus on the advanced hydroacoustic assessments of zooplankton distribution and abundance.