New net zooplankton geographical information system in the Far East seas and adjacent waters of the Pacific Ocean

Abstract

AbstractMotivationI describe the GIS that is based on a new database of zooplankton collected by Juday net with a 0.1 m2 opening (0.168 mm mesh).Main types of variables containedThe average density (in milligrams per cubic metre) of plankton and their different constituents in 1° trapeziums.LocationChukchi, Bering, Okhotsk, Japan/East seas and Pacific Ocean.Time period1984–2013.Taxa studiedAll mesofauna; > 214 species of holo‐ and meroplankton.MethodsGIS creation, data analysis and literature review.Software formatAny that is capable of working with shapefiles.ResultsMaps of the spatio‐temporal distribution of plankton with various taxonomic groups and dimensions were compiled and analysed. Based on these maps and on the literature, a hypothesis was made regarding the negative correlation of the zooplankton size with temperature. It was also revealed that some fluctuations in the abundance of plankton in the Bering Sea and the ocean are in phase, whereas in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan the fluctuations are fully out of phase. In particular, during the transition from the light to the dark time of the day in the Sea of Okhotsk and the Sea of Japan, the density of plankton almost everywhere throughout the epipelagic zone increases; however, in the Bering Sea and the ocean, over large parts of the water area, it decreases. This means that the common practice by trophologists of attempting to replace the day‐time catch in plankton nets with the night‐time catches to assess the food reserves for fish will yield significantly different results in these waters.Main conclusionThis unique GIS could be useful to planktonologists, ichthyologists, hydrobiologists, trophologists, ecologists, biogeographers and modellers for understanding patterns and drivers of plankton diversity and biomass variations at large scales. Unfortunately, owing to lack of funding, it has not been brought to the levels of species, size classes and developmental stages that could be available in the final release.