SGER: Preliminary Studies of Larval Transport using Small Moorings in Coastal Waters

该SGER奖旨在确定在俄勒冈中部近岸（在冲浪区之外）锚定的小型系泊的有效性，以确定与陆上招募模式和社区结构相关的幼虫丰度和运输模式。至关重要的是要获得系泊将起作用的证据，并将提供可对近岸幼虫运输问题产生关键影响的信息。与海洋科学家团体的意见一致（反映在GLOBEC和CoOP的任务声明中），孟格博士认为，通过近岸地区（迄今为止是一个“黑匣子”）确定上层海洋和底栖生物环境之间的联系，是生物海洋学家和海洋生态学家面临的最重要问题之一。长期以来，浮游动物丰度的测定一直受到浮游生物斑块性造成的极端时空变化的阻碍。使用经过长时间整合的幼虫陷阱将提供更准确地反映底栖生物群落幼虫交付模式的幼虫估计。这项研究将采用廉价的系泊装置，锚定在离岸0.5至1公里的12至15米的水中，同时采样幼虫丰度、水流、水温、岸上沉降和岸上温度。在系泊处的测量将在靠近水面和底部的地方进行，以量化可能的幼虫分层和水柱中的物理状况，这可能与上升流和放松期间的陆上/海上运输模式有关。为了与更传统的海洋学测量方法进行比较，每次监测系泊时，将使用标准方法（Niskin瓶、CTD、浮游生物网）对叶绿素a、物理条件和浮游动物丰度进行采样。卫星图像将用于检查更大规模的背景，而我们的小规模抽样将在其中进行。这项工作将测试这些系泊是否将被证明是研究近岸生态和海洋学过程，特别是与幼虫运输有关的一种强大而廉价的工具。

This SGER award aims to determine the efficacy of small moorings anchored in the nearshore (just beyond the surf zone) of central Oregon for determining patterns of larval abundance and transport in relation to onshore patterns of recruitment and community structure. It is essential to obtain proof that moorings will work, and will provide information that can bear critically on the issue of nearshore larval transport. In agreement with the community of ocean scientists (as reflected in GLOBEC and CoOP mission statements) Dr. Menge contends that the determination of the link between pelagic and benthic environments through the nearshore region, heretofore a `black box,` is one of the most important problems facing biological oceanographers and marine ecologists. Determining abundances of zooplankton has long been hampered by extreme spatial and temporal variation due to plankton patchiness. The use of larval traps, which integrate over long times will provide larval estimates which more accurately reflect patterns of larval delivery to benthic communities. This study will employ inexpensive moorings, anchored in 12 15 m of water between 0.5 and 1 km offshore, and will simultaneously sample larval abundances, currents, water temperature, settlement onshore, and temperature onshore. The measurements on the moorings will be taken near the surface and near the bottom to quantify possible stratification of larvae and physical conditions in the water column, which may relate to patterns of onshore/offshore transport during upwelling and relaxation. For comparison with more traditional oceanographic measurements, chlorophyll a, physical conditions, and zooplankton abundance will be sampled using standard methods (Niskin bottles, CTD, plankton nets) each time the moorings are monitored. Satellite imagery will be used to examine the larger scale context in which our smaller scale sampling will take place. This work will test if these moorings will prove to be a powerful and inexpensive tool in studying nearshore ecological and oceanographic processes, particularly in relation to larval transport.