Variability in Transport and Recruitment of Antarctic Krill Across the Scotia Sea

南极半岛区域的南极磷虾种群与南乔治亚州的种群之间的联系取决于：1)在南极半岛成功招募幼体和少年群体；2)将南极半岛磷虾卷入与南极绕极洋流南部锋面有关的洋流中；3)在穿越斯科舍海的运输过程中，磷虾得以存活；4)在一定的空间和时间尺度上，成功地招募到当地的磷虾种群。这项研究的总体目标是审查与这些组成部分相关的环境和生物变异性，以确定对南极磷虾生存和补充的相对影响。第一个研究问题考虑了控制/影响大尺度环流特征位置变化的因素，如南极绕极流锋和边界。这一问题的基本原理是，这些环流特征的位置影响磷虾的夹带量、南乔治亚州磷虾到达南乔治亚州的时间以及极坡洋流从韦德尔海流出的潜在范围。第二个研究问题考虑了使南极磷虾在南极半岛和南乔治亚州之间成功运输的环境和生物因素。第三个研究问题考虑了导致南乔治亚州人口成功招募南极磷虾的物理和生物因素。第四个研究问题侧重于整个南极半岛--斯科舍海系统，旨在确定导致南极磷虾捕捞成败的地点和/或条件。这个问题将考虑考虑到被动平流、食物可获得性和招募的限制，是否有可能在其他地方生产和招募磷虾。这项研究是老道明大学的E.Hofmann和J.Klinck以及英国剑桥英国南极探险队(BAS)的尤金·墨菲博士共同努力的结果。这项研究将与BAS海洋生态系统动态方案密切相关，该方案正在调查南乔治亚州生态系统的变异性。这项研究将包括分析、综合和整合BAS在南乔治亚州周围收集的大型环境和磷虾数据集，来自南极半岛地区的数据集来自历史来源，如生物量和帕尔默长期生态研究(LTER)计划，以及来自南设得兰群岛和象岛地区的数据集，这些数据集通过生物和循环模型获得，对于解决研究问题至关重要，并将有助于更好地了解南极海洋生态系统。

Connection between Antarctic krill populations from the Antarctic Peninsula region with those at South Georgia is dependant upon: 1) successful recruitment of larval and juvenile age groups at the Antarctic Peninsula, 2) entrainment of Antarctic Peninsula krill into the currents associated with fronts in the southern portion of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, 3) survival of the krill during transport across the Scotia Sea, and 4) successful recruitment to the local krill population at a range of space and time scales. The overall goal of this research is to examine environmental and biological variability associated with each of these components to determine the relative effect on Antarctic krill survival and recruitment. The first research question considers the factors that control/influence variability in location of the large-scale circulation features, such as the southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current front and boundary. The rationale underlying this question is that the location of these circulation features affects krill entrainment, the volume of Upper Circumpolar Deep water that is upwelled arrival time of krill at South Georgia, and potentially the extent of the Polar Slope Current outflow from the Weddell Sea. The second research question considers the environmental and biological factors that allow successful transport of Antarctic krill between the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia. The third research question considers the physical and biological factors that result in successful recruitment of Antarctic krill to South Georgia populations. The fourth research question is focused on the entire Antarctic Peninsula-Scotia Sea system and is directed at determining the locations and/or conditions that result in success or failure in recruitment of Antarctic krill. This question will consider if other locations for krill production and recruitment are possible given the constraints of passive advection, food availability, and recruitment. This study is a joint effort between E. Hofmann and J. Klinck at Old Dominion University and Dr. Eugene Murphy at the British Antarctic Surve (BAS) in Cambridge, England. The study will closely link to the BAS Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics Programme, which is investigating the variability of the South Georgia ecosystem. The research will include analyzing, synthesizing, and integrating the large environmental and krill data sets collected by BAS around South Georgia with those from the Antarctic Peninsula region that are from historical sources, such as BIOMASS and the Palmer Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program, and those from the South Shetland Islands and Elephant Island region obtained as part of the various data sets with biological and circulation models are essential for addressing the research questions and will lead to a greater understanding of the Antarctic Marine Ecosystem.