The effects of vertical sampling resolution on estimates of plankton biomass and rate calculations in stratified water columns

Abstract

The effects of vertical sampling resolution on estimates of plankton biomass and grazing calculations were examined using data collected in two different areas with vertically stratified water columns. Data were collected from one site in the upwelling region off Oregon and from four sites in the Northern Gulf of Mexico, three within the Mississippi River plume and one in adjacent oceanic waters. Plankton were found to be concentrated in discrete layers with sharp vertical gradients at all the stations. Phytoplankton distributions were correlated with gradients in temperature and salinity, but microzooplankton and mesozooplankton distributions were not. Layers of zooplankton were sometimes collocated with layers of phytoplankton, but this was not always the case. Simulated calculations demonstrate that when averages are taken over the water column, or coarser scale vertical sampling resolution is used, biomass and mesozooplankton grazing and filtration rates can be greatly underestimated. This has important implications for understanding the ecological significance of discrete layers of plankton and for assessing rates of grazing and production in stratified water columns.