Dynamics of Small-Scale Spatial Distributions of Zooplankton

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One of the major problems in biological oceanography is obtaining accurate and timely estimates of abundance and distribution of the microscopic animals (zooplankton) which are the major plant eaters (herbivores) in the sea and which are the primary food of young fish and other oceanic carnivores. The distribution of zooplankton is patchy in both vertical and horizontal scales, and their numbers fluctuate rapidly because of high birth and mortality rates. Traditional methods of determining spatial and temporal variability, based on fine- mesh net collections followed by laboratory counting, are tedious and often inaccurate because they fail to detect sharp gradients or interfaces in the zooplankton patches. Faster and more accurate technology is required to advance this vital area of oceanographic research. This award is testing new technology, specifically acoustic investigations of zooplankton ecology, to determine scales of patchiness and relate them to oceanographic features. The PIs are also developing the necessary computerized hardware and software for a rapid analysis of the acoustic data.