Mapping plankton distribution in the Bay of Biscay during three consecutive spring surveys

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 345:27-39 (2007) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps06970 Mapping plankton distribution in the Bay of Biscay during three consecutive spring surveys L. Zarauz1,*, X. Irigoien1, A. Urtizberea2, M. Gonzalez1 1Marine Research Division, AZTI Foundation, Herrera Kaia Portualdea, z/g 20110, Pasaia (Guipuzkoa), Spain 2Department of Biology, University of Bergen, Høyteknologisenteret, PB 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway *Email: lzarauz@pas.azti.es ABSTRACT: Nano-microplankton biomass, mesozooplankton biomass and hydrographic features were measured with mesoscale spatial resolution during 3 surveys in the Bay of Biscay between March and June 2004. Regions of high plankton biomass were associated with mesoscale physical structures. Generalized additive models (GAMs) based upon surface salinity, surface temperature and stratification of the water column explained 83% of the variability in nano-microplankton biomass distributions, 67% for small mesozooplankton, and 41% for large mesozooplankton. The results show that when biological and physical data are collected at the relevant spatial scales, nano-microplankton and small mesozooplankton biomass distributions can be largely explained using simple hydrographic variables and non-parametric regression models. KEY WORDS: Plankton biomass · Hydrography · Generalized additive models · GAM · Image analysis · Size spectra Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Zarauz L, Irigoien X, Urtizberea A, Gonzalez M (2007) Mapping plankton distribution in the Bay of Biscay during three consecutive spring surveys. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 345:27-39. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps06970 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 345. Online publication date: September 13, 2007 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2007 Inter-Research.