Abundance, Biomass, Vertical Distribution and Selected Process Studies of Arctic Ocean Zooplankton: A Collaborative Proposal for Ancillary Use of the SHEBA Platform

这一合作研究项目是在北冰洋进行的第一个完整年度周期的全面生物过程研究之一。 来自罗得岛大学伍兹霍尔海洋研究所和加拿大部门布鲁克海文国家实验室的调查人员。来自渔业和海洋部以及其他美国机构的科学家将使用加拿大破冰船作为基地，为期14个月，研究北极中部生物生产和呼吸的季节性周期，以及藻类，细菌，原生生物和浮游动物生物量的季节性周期。 该项目为期一年，研究北冰洋上层500米浮游动物和现存量的分布和丰度、垂直迁移模式以及四种目标桡足类的次级生产力和生命率，包括产卵量、卵活力、生长和碳现存量的变化。 此外，还将描述越冬地点的碳和能量流动。 采样计划包括对浮游动物生物量和丰度的连续（声学）和每周（网拖）监测，并通过定期、密集、面向过程的工作进行增强：1）将定期提供声学后向散射强度数据，以使用从网拖测量的浮游动物总生物量校准后向散射强度：浮游动物生物量关系。 2)在整个项目期间，将每隔10天测量浮游动物生物量、丰度和分类组成。将使用环网上的打开/关闭机制定期但不太频繁地（每月）收集垂直离散样本。 3)过程研究将包括产蛋率和生存力实验，生长率实验，以及主要桡足类物种呼吸率的分类和生命阶段特定测定。 将收集优势类群的个体的长度、干重、碳和氮含量，并测定RNA/DNA比率，这是桡足类生命率的指标。 研究结果将与以前的研究结果进行比较，并将增进对北冰洋生态系统、北冰洋桡足类动物的生命周期、北极生态系统的可变性以及浮游动物特别是桡足类动物对北冰洋碳循环的潜在重要性的了解。对生产/呼吸过程的季节性研究将提供以下方面的宝贵信息：1）北极中部生态系统目前的结构和功能，这可以作为评估未来全球变化过程对这一敏感地区影响的基线;和2）在高纬度系统中生产和呼吸过程的性质和时间，特别是异养群落在高纬度系统中如何生存。黑暗的冬季。

This collaborative research project represents one of the first comprehensive biological process studies to be carried in the Arctic Ocean over a full annual cycle. Investigators from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, University of Rhode Island, and Brookhaven National Laboratory, the Canadian Dept. of Fisheries and Oceans, and from other U.S. institutions will use a Canadian icebreaker as home base for a 14-month period to study the seasonal cycle of biological production and respiration, and the seasonal cycle in biomass of algae, bacteria, protists, and zooplankton, in the central Arctic. This project involves a year-long study of the distribution and abundance of total zooplankton and standing stock, vertical migration patterns, and aspects of secondary production and vital rates of four target copepod species, including egg production, egg viability, growth, and changes in carbon standing stock, in the upper 500 m of the Arctic Ocean. Additionally, the carbon and energy flow at the over-wintering site will be described. The sampling plan includes both continuous (acoustic) and weekly (net tows) monitoring of zooplankton biomass and abundance augmented by periodic, intensive, process oriented work: 1) Acoustic backscatter intensity data will be made available periodically to calibrate the backscatter intensity: zooplankton biomass relationship using total zooplankton biomass measured from net hauls. 2) Zooplankton biomass, abundance, and taxonomic composition will be measured at ~10 day intervals throughout the period of the project. Vertically discrete samples will be collected at regular but less frequent intervals (monthly) using opening/closing mechanisms on the ring nets. 3) Process Studies will involve egg production rate and viability experiments, growth rate experiments, and taxa and life stage specific determination of respiration rates for the dominant copepod species. Individuals of the dominant taxa will collected for length, dry weight, carbon and nitrogen content and the determination of the RNA/DNA ratio, an indicator of the vital rates of the copepods. The results will be compared to those from previous studies and will enhance understanding of the Arctic Ocean ecosystem, the life cycles of copepods in the Arctic Ocean, variability in the Arctic ecosystem, and the potential importance of zooplankton, especially copepods, to the Arctic Ocean carbon cycle. The seasonal study of production/ respiration processes will provide valuable information regarding: 1) the present structure and function of central Arctic ecosystems, which can serve as a baseline for evaluating the impact of future global change processes in this sensitive region; and 2) the nature and timing of production and respiration processes in a high latitude system and in particular how the heterotrophic community survives during the dark winter months.