Flemish Cap Research Articles

Deep-sea sponge grounds of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Northwest Atlantic Ocean): Distribution and species composition

Distribution and species composition of deep-sea sponge grounds of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland are described based on Spanish/EU bottom trawl groundfish surveys between 40 and 1500 m depth. Four areas with large catches of sponges and at least 30 different species have been identified in the study area. Geodia barretti, Geodia macandrewii, Geodia phlegraei, Stryphnus ponderosus and Stelletta normani are the main structural sponges and constitute more than 94% of the total invertebrate biomass of these grounds. The temperature and salinity observed over these bottoms ranged between 3.38 and 3.84°C and between 34.85 and 34.90‰, respectively. The biomass of deep-water sponges per swept area was significantly higher on lightly or untrawled bottoms than in the grounds that are regularly fished. Data from trawl groundfish surveys cannot map the deep-sea sponge grounds to a precision less than the trawl distance of 1.5 nm. Nevertheless it has been used by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), along with additional Canadian data, to implement the 61/105 United Nations General Assembly Resolution in closing six areas to bottom fishing activities to protect the sponge grounds of the NAFO Regulatory Area.

Habitat selection by hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean

Abstract Andersen, J. M., Wiersma, Y. F., Stenson, G. B., Hammill, M. O., Rosing-Asvid, A., and Skern-Maurizen, M. 2013. Habitat selection by hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70:173–185. We examined annual habitat use for 65 hooded seals (32 adult females, 17 adult males, and 16 juveniles) equipped with satellite relay data loggers (SRDLs) in spring or summer during five field seasons (2004–2008). A combined approach using first passage time (FPT) analysis and a generalized additive model (GAM) was applied to test for habitat selection, with a focus on environmental parameters of depth, slope, ice, sea surface temperature (SST), and chlorophyll. The models were run on adult males, adult females, and juveniles separately, and the results identified SST, depth, and chlorophyll as the most important factors influencing habitat selection across all categories. Furthermore, males and females preferred similar habitat conditions, but were separated geographically, and by depth, at various times of the year. Males appeared to be more localized in their habitat use patterns, focusing their search effort in areas of complex seabed relief such as Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, and the Flemish cap, while females concentrated their search effort along shelf areas (e.g. the Labrador shelf). These findings support our hypothesis that hooded seals prefer areas where topography and oceanographic processes create favourable foraging conditions.

Flemish Cap-Goban Spur conjugate margins: New evidence of asymmetry

We present the combined results of deep multichannel reflection and refraction seismic surveys across the Flemish Cap–Goban Spur conjugate margin pair (North Atlantic), which we use to infer rifting style and breakup. Profiles on both margins cross magnetic anomaly 34 and extend into oceanic crust, making it possible to observe the complete history from continental rifting through to the formation of initial oceanic crust. The deep multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data have previously been used to support a model of symmetric pure shear extension followed by asymmetric breakup and a sharp continent-ocean boundary. Using both types of seismic data, our results indicate instead that asymmetric structures are formed during all stages of rifting, breakup, and complex transition to oceanic spreading. The differing nature of the two ocean-continent transition zones is particularly striking. For Flemish Cap, our reprocessed image of the MCS profile clearly shows tilted fault blocks beneath back-tilted sediment packages, consistent with a wide region of highly thinned continental crust inferred from wide-angle seismic data. In contrast, normal incidence and wide-angle seismic data for the Goban Spur transition zone indicate the presence of exhumed serpentinized mantle.

Disentangling genetic change from phenotypic response in reproductive parameters of Flemish Cap cod Gadus morhua

Flemish Cap cod Gadus morhua, as with many other fish populations subjected to high fishing rates, has experienced variation in size and age at maturation. Following intense fishing activity and concurrent with a substantial decline in population biomass, cohorts in the early 1990s exhibited a reduction in the length and age at which there is a 50% chance of being mature (L50 and A50 respectively) with values lower than ever estimated before. A further decline in A50 (not in L50) was found after the cod fishing moratoria, in late 1990s and early 2000s cohorts. At the same time, the water temperature showed substantial changes and the abundance of the main prey species of juvenile cod experienced large variation. Shrimp replaced hyperiids as the main prey item since the late 1990s, which was followed by large changes in feeding habits, fish condition and mean size at age. The analysis of maturation reaction norms and countertrend variations in growth rate, water temperature and condition support the hypothesis of genetic change as the main explanation for the decline in size and age at maturation of the cohorts of the late 1980s and early 1990s. However the change in A50 in the late 1990s and early 2000s cohorts is suggested to be caused mainly by a phenotypic response as a consequence of variation in feeding opportunities, water temperature and density-dependent changes in growth rate. If food availability decreases and there is a decrease in water temperature, a decrease in the reproductive potential and survivorship may be expected.

Comparison of lithosphere structure across the Orphan Basin–Flemish Cap and Irish Atlantic conjugate continental margins from constrained 3D gravity inversions

Regionally constrained 3D gravity inversion results on the Orphan Basin–Flemish Cap and the Irish Atlantic conjugate continental margins are compared to investigate crustal structure, early rifting history and geological evolution of this part of the North Atlantic. The full-crustal density anomaly distributions provide some of the first depth images of how rifted structures compare along and across these conjugate margins. Broad similarities in crustal structure are identified with some noticeable differences, linked to rifting and crustal stretching processes. Extreme crustal thinning (stretching factors >3.5) is indicated beneath much of the southern Porcupine Basin, the western half of West Orphan Basin, the eastern half of Jeanne d’Arc Basin, the southeastern half of East Orphan Basin and in pockets beneath Rockall Basin. This appears to have resulted in the serpentinization (and possible exhumation) of mantle lithosphere on the Irish Atlantic and Flemish Cap margins but not beneath Orphan Basin. A simple evolution model is proposed for the early stages of rifting between the margins. It is suggested that ancient orogenic sutures played an important role in controlling the northward migration of rifting and the rotation and displacement of Flemish Cap out of Orphan Basin. Supplementary material: Enlarged maps from this paper are available at www.geolsoc.org.uk/SUP18527 .

On the Driving Mechanism of the Annual Cycle of the Florida Current Transport

Abstract The mechanisms involved in setting the annual cycle of the Florida Current transport are revisited using an adjoint model approach. Adjoint sensitivities of the Florida Current transport to wind stress reproduce a realistic seasonal cycle with an amplitude of ~1.2 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1). The annual cycle is predominantly determined by wind stress forcing and related coastal upwelling (downwelling) north of the Florida Strait along the shelf off the North American coast. Fast barotropic waves propagate these anomalies southward and reach the Florida Strait within a month, causing an amplitude of ~1 Sv. Long baroclinic planetary Rossby waves originating from the interior are responsible for an amplitude of ~0.8 Sv but have a different phase. The sensitivities corresponding to the first baroclinic mode propagate westward and are highly influenced by topography. Considerable sensitivities are only found west of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, with maximum values at the western shelf edge. The second baroclinic mode also has an impact on the Florida Current variability, but only when a mean flow is present. A second-mode wave train propagates southwestward from the ocean bottom on the western side of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between ~36° and 46°N and at Flemish Cap, where the mean flow interacts with topography, to the surface. Other processes such as baroclinic waves along the shelf and local forcing within the Florida Strait are of minor importance.

Changes and trends in the demersal fish community of the Flemish Cap, Northwest Atlantic, in the period 1988–2008

Abstract Pérez-Rodríguez, A., Koen-Alonso, M., and Saborido-Rey, F. 2012. Changes and trends in the demersal fish community of the Flemish Cap, Northwest Atlantic, in the period 1988–2008. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 902–912. The Flemish Cap fish community (NAFO Division 3M) has been fished since the 1950s, and major changes in the biomass and abundance of its most important commercial species have been reported since the late 1980s. Variations in oceanographic conditions at the Cap, with alternating periods of cold and warm weather, have also been described. This work examines the existence of common trends in the biomass levels of the main demersal species over time using dynamic factor analysis, and the occurrence of “occasional species” was explored in relation to temperature conditions. Overall, there have been significant changes in community structure involving both commercial and non-commercial species. Common trends among species were identified and overall fishing pressure, environmental conditions (represented by a moving average of the North Atlantic Oscillation, NAO), and predation pressure (represented by the abundance of piscivorous fish) emerged as important drivers of the temporal dynamics. The NAO influence in the dynamics of most species was in agreement with their temperature preference. For occasional species, their pattern of occurrence appears also to be linked to changes in temperature regimes.

Does increased information about reproductive potential result in better prediction of recruitment?

The relationship between stock size and recruitment is an essential element in the understanding of the productivity of a population. However, predicting the number of recruits produced by a population has proven to be a difficult challenge. This may in part be a result of poor estimation of reproductive potential (RP). We determined if including increased information on reproductive biology in indices of RP results in better predictions of recruitment. We investigated some of the conditions that lead to better (or worse) recruitment prediction when more biologically complex indices of RP are used. Data from four populations in the Northwest Atlantic were examined: southern Grand Bank (NAFO Division 3NO) cod ( Gadus morhua ), Flemish Cap (NAFO Division 3M) cod, Newfoundland (NAFO Division 3LNO) American plaice ( Hippoglossoides platessoides ), and Greenland halibut ( Reinhardtius hippoglossoides ) (NAFO Subarea 2 + Division 3KLMNO). Stock–recruit models paired with complex indices of RP gave a better estimate of recruitment in slightly more than half of the tests conducted. When there were larger trends in the reproductive biology (maturity at age, sex ratio and egg production), more complex indices of RP were more likely to provide a better estimate of recruitment.

Crustal structure of the Flemish Cap Continental Margin (eastern Canada): an analysis of a seismic refraction profile

SUMMARY The crustal structure of the NE Flemish Cap margin was determined along a 460-km-long refraction/wide-angle reflection seismic transect (FLAME Line) to define the thickness, structure and composition of the crust and uppermost mantle along the line. A P-wave velocity model was developed from forward and inverse modelling of dense airgun shots recorded by 19 ocean bottom seismometers. A coincident multichannel seismic profile was used to guide the modelling as reflections could be identified down to Moho. The model displays a sediment cover of up to 3.6-km-thick, subdivided into three layers with velocities of 1.8–1.9 km s −1 , 2.8–3.1 km s −1 and 4.7–4.8 km s −1 . For the western part of the FLAME Line over Flemish Cap, the P-wave velocity model displays an up to 32-km-thick, three-layer continental crust. The continental crust has velocities of 5.8–6.1 km s −1 , 6.3–6.45 km s −1 and 6.65– 6.85 km s −1 and thicknesses of about 5 km, 7 km and 20 km in the upper, middle and lower layers, respectively. The thick continental crust thins to a two-layer, 6-km-thick crust (upper layer is 5.55–6.0 km s −1 and the layer below is 6.65–6.8 km s −1 ) over a distance of 45 km. S-wave velocities are determined in the upper layer of the thick continental crust over Flemish Cap and the transition zone by assigning Poisson’s ratios in the P-wave velocity model. Comparison of calculated to observed arrival times gives a Poisson’s ratio of 0.27 in the upper layer and 0.28 in the layer below, which suggests that the composition of the crust is primarily continental in both the thick crust and the thin crust of the transition zone. The thin continental crust is stretched over a width of 80 km and is underlain by a layer with velocities of 7.5– 7.9 km s −1 . We interpret this layer as partially serpentinized mantle, which is consistent with observationsfromtheNewfoundlandmargintothesouth.Theserpentinizedmantleterminates 30 km seaward of the thick continental crust. At the seaward-most end of the thin continental crust, a prominent ridge feature is observed. The seismic refraction and multichannel seismic data results indicate a mixed character between serpentinized mantle with volcanic extrusions or continental crust. The reflection seismic data show a high relief basement from the ridge feature and seaward. The FLAME Line crosses magnetic anomaly 34 and extends another ∼50 km seaward well into oceanic crust. The ridge is flanked seaward by a two-layer oceanic crust. The upper layer (Layer 2) has velocities of 4.8–5.0 km s −1 for the landward-most 35 km of oceanic crust and 4.8–6.2 km s −1 for the seaward 60 km. The average thickness of Layer 2 is ∼2 km. The lower layer (Layer 3) has velocities of 6.7–7.2 km s −1 and a thickness of ∼3.5 km. The velocity model is consistent with a sharp onset of seafloor spreading seaward of the ridge feature.

Export of Labrador Sea Water from the subpolar North Atlantic: A Lagrangian perspective

Results from 59 acoustically tracked RAFOS floats obtained during 2003–2008 are analyzed here to study the spreading pathways of Labrador Sea Water (LSW) from the subpolar to subtropical North Atlantic. An earlier paper based on a subset of these float data presented evidence of a potentially important interior pathway for the southward spreading of LSW. Here those results are reinforced with the full data set and new information on LSW pathways around the Grand Banks is presented. About 70% of the RAFOS floats were expelled into the ocean interior east of the Grand Banks and meandered slowly eastward toward the mid-Atlantic ridge, a pathway observed previously with profiling floats. Less than 10% was advected continuously around the Grand Banks by the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC). A larger fraction (∼17%) drifted into the subtropical interior from the Tail of the Grand Banks, suggesting that this pathway is at least if not more important than the DWBC pathway for the export of LSW to the subtropics. RAFOS floats released closest to the continental slope at 700 m depth were more likely to rapidly reach subtropical latitudes, mainly because they drifted through Flemish Pass, a 1100 m deep channel between the Grand Banks and the Flemish Cap, which protects fluid parcels from being swept off the continental slope by meanders of the North Atlantic Current. A statistical comparison of the RAFOS trajectories with more than 5000 simulated floats obtained from the Family of Linked Atlantic Models Experiment (FLAME) high-resolution ocean general circulation model reveals a similar pattern of LSW spreading. The RAFOS and simulated floats are also used to show that contrary to a previous modeling study, the isobaric RAFOS floats do not underestimate the amount of LSW that continuously follows the DWBC around the Grand Banks compared to isopycnal floats. These results have implications for the connectivity of the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation between the subpolar and the subtropical North Atlantic.

Simulation of three-dimensional circulation and hydrography over the Grand Banks of Newfoundland

There are few ocean models that both adequately resolve the cross-shelf structure of the Labrador Current and have been sufficiently evaluated against in situ observations at tidal, synoptic and seasonal scales. We present a three-dimensional, high-resolution, prognostic, nonlinear circulation model for the Newfoundland offshore based on the finite volume coastal ocean model (FVCOM). The FVCOM uses unstructured grid in the horizontal and thus allows efficient and effective use of grid resolution to resolve coastal- and shelf-scale features. The model results are evaluated against current meter measurements, vessel-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) data, and tide-gauge observations. The FVCOM climatological monthly-mean currents over the shelf and slope show good agreement with observations and substantial improvement over those from an earlier finite-element model. The simulated tidal elevations agree well (4 cm of the root-sum-square absolute error for the total tidal height) with observations, and show improvement over previous tidal models over the Labrador Shelf. The hindcasts for the spring to fall of 1999 show reasonable skill in reproducing temperature, salinity and currents. At station 27 the observed temperature and salinity have seasonal ranges of 14 °C and 1.5 psu near the surface from April to November; while the root-mean-square (RMS) differences are 2.1 °C and 0.3 psu between the model and observations. On the Flemish Cap transect the observed temperature and salinity range from −1.5 to 13.1 °C and from 31.3 to 34.9 psu on July 17–20, 1999; while the RMS differences are 1.0 °C and 0.2 psu. The model-observation velocity difference ratio is 0.53 on this transect on July 17–18, 1999.

The role of environmental conditions and exploitation in determining dynamics of redfish (Sebastes species) in the Northwest Atlantic

AbstractThe six stocks of redfish (Sebastes spp.) in the Northwest Atlantic have been fished for the past 60 years, during which time they have also experienced considerable variability in environmental conditions. Despite their close proximity and with life‐history features characteristic of many deep‐sea fishes (long‐lived, slow‐growing, late‐maturing, relatively low fecundity), each redfish stock has displayed quite different dynamics. Some have been able to support apparently sustainable fisheries, whereas others have been forced to close. The causes of such differences are unclear. We used dynamic factor analysis to determine the relative impacts of exploitation (days fishing for redfish, days fishing for shrimp, days fished by all fisheries, catch in the redfish fishery, total redfish catch) and environment (North Atlantic Oscillation, surface temperature, salinity, shallow, middle, and deep bottom temperatures) on trends of abundance in each stock over the years 1960–2004. The results showed that a mix of exploitation and environmental variability, with various and different lag times, accounted for observed trends. The Gulf of St. Lawrence stock was affected most by exploitation. Flemish Cap and northern Newfoundland‐Labrador stocks were mostly affected by environmental factors with longer time lags than more southerly stocks. We conclude that management of redfish must take into account individual responses to exploitation and environment over the time periods during which such factors operate, often decades or more, as opposed to the usual practice of reviewing only dynamics of the past few years. Deep‐sea populations cannot be managed on the same scales as shelf fisheries.

Study of the relationship between total egg production, female spawning stock biomass, and recruitment of Flemish Cap cod (Gadus morhua)

In stock-recruitment relationships, spawning stock biomass (SSB) has traditionally been assumed to be equivalent to total egg production (TEP); however, in the last decade a number of studies have indicated the need to include more biological complexity in measures of reproductive potential and advocate the use of TEP instead of SSB. The relationship between fecundity and length is often used to estimate TEP. In that case, the equations used to estimate female spawning stock biomass (FSSB) and TEP only differ in the coefficients determining the fecundity and weight relationships with length. In the present paper, TEP and FSSB have been estimated for Flemish Cap cod (Gadus morhua) for the period from 1978 to 2008. Total egg production was calculated using six different fecundity-length relationships applied to the whole time series in each case. A greater difference between the allometric coefficient in the weight-length and fecundity-length relationships led to a lower correlation between FSSB and TEP. The TEP time series using higher fecundity allometric coefficients explained a greater proportion of recruitment variance. Despite this pattern, correlation between FSSB and TEP was always higher than 0.96. These results support the necessity of making annual estimates of potential fecundity and studying its relation not only to length but to other variables, such as fish condition, in order to really get an improvement of TEP over FSSB as a predictive variable in recruitment assessments.

Incidence and significance of cystic structures in the ovaries of gadoid fish

Fish regulate egg production by atresia. Sometimes, oocytes are encapsulated in cystic structures that might remain in the ovary for months, altering female reproductive potential in future spawning seasons. Ovaries of Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua , L.) from the Flemish Cap and European hake ( Merluccius merluccius , L.) from the Galician Shelf (NW Spain) were analysed from 1999 to 2006. The prevalence and abundance of ovarian cysts were estimated. Cyst prevalence increased with female size and/or age for both species, and decreased with high condition factor in hake. Cyst intensity does not correlate with any analysed factor. The size/age structure of spawning stock biomass and female condition could affect the prevalence of cysts in the ovaries, though it does not seem to affect cyst intensity in the ovary. Further research is needed to determine cyst resorption time and the impact that it has on egg production and consequently on stock reproductive potential.

Structure across the northeastern margin of Flemish Cap, offshore Newfoundland from Erable multichannel seismic reflection profiles: evidence for a transtensional rifting environment

We present the results from processing and interpreting nine multichannel seismic reflection lines collected during the 1992 Erable experiment over the northeastern margin of Flemish Cap offshore Newfoundland. These lines, combined into five cross-sections, provide increased seismic coverage over this lightly probed section of the margin and reveal tectonically significant along-strike variations in the degree and compartmentalization of crustal thinning. Similar to the southeastern margins of Flemish Cap and the Grand Banks, a transitional zone of exhumed serpentinized mantle is interpreted between thinned continental and oceanic crust. The 25 km wide transitional zone bears similarities to the 120 km wide transitional zone interpreted as exhumed serpentinized mantle on the conjugate Irish Atlantic margin but the significant width difference is suggestive of an asymmetric conjugate pair. A 40–50 km wide zone of inferred strike-slip shearing is interpreted and observed to extend along most of the northeastern margin of Flemish Cap. Individual shear zones (SZs) may represent extensions of SZs and normal faults within the Orphan Basin providing further evidence for the rotation and displacement of Flemish Cap out of Orphan Basin. The asymmetry between the Flemish Cap and Irish conjugate pairs is likely due in large part to the rotation and displacement of Flemish Cap which resulted in the Flemish Cap margin displaying features of both a strike-slip margin and an extensional margin.

Latitudinal dependence of Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) variations

AMOC variations are often thought to propagate with the Kelvin wave speed, resulting in a short time lead between high and low latitudes AMOC variations. However as shown in this paper using a coupled climate model (GFDL CM2.1), with the existence of interior pathways of North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) from Flemish Cap to Cape Hatteras as that observed recently, AMOC variations estimated in density space propagate with the advection speed in this region, resulting in a much longer time lead (several years) between subpolar and subtropical AMOC variations and providing a more useful predictability. The results suggest that AMOC variations have significant meridional coherence in density space, and monitoring AMOC variations in density space at higher latitudes might reveal a stronger signal with a several‐year time lead.

Distribution of deep-water corals of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Northwest Atlantic Ocean): interaction with fishing activities

Abstract Murillo, F. J., Durán Muñoz, P., Altuna, A., and Serrano, A. 2011. Distribution of deep-water corals of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland (Northwest Atlantic Ocean): interaction with fishing activities. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 319–332. The distribution of deep-water corals of the Flemish Cap, Flemish Pass, and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland is described based on bycatch from Spanish/EU bottom trawl groundfish surveys between 40 and 1500 m depth. In all, 37 taxa of deep-water corals were identified in the study area: 21 alcyonaceans (including the gorgonians), 11 pennatulaceans, 2 solitary scleractinians, and 3 antipatharians. The greatest diversity of coral species was on the Flemish Cap. Corals were most abundant along the continental slope, between 600 and 1300 m depth. Soft corals (alcyonaceans), sea fans (gorgonians), and black corals (antipatharians) were most common on bedrock or gravel, whereas sea pens (pennatulaceans) and cup corals (solitary scleractinians) were found primarily on mud. The biomass of deep-water corals in the bycatches was highest in previously lightly trawled or untrawled areas, and generally low in the regularly fished grounds. The information derived from bottom-trawl bycatch records is not sufficient to map vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) accurately, but pending more detailed habitat mapping, it provides a valuable indication of the presence/absence of VMEs that can be used to propose the candidate areas for bottom fishery closures or other conservation measures.

Structure and rifting evolution of the northern Newfoundland Basin from Erable multichannel seismic reflection profiles across the southeastern margin of Flemish Cap

We present the results from processing and interpreting five lines from the 1992 Erable multichannel seismic reflection experiment extending from the southeastern margin of Flemish Cap into the northern Newfoundland Basin. These profiles reveal significant along strike variations in the rifting styles experienced by Flemish Cap. In the southwest, a 100-km-wide transition zone is identified between thinned continental crust and thin oceanic crust. Similar to the conjugate Galicia Bank and Iberian margins, this transition zone contains a section of deep basement adjacent to a series of shallower ridges and is interpreted as exhumed serpentinized mantle. Along strike towards the northeast, this transition zone pinches out completely within 100 km and is replaced by thin oceanic crust directly adjacent to thinned continental crust. By interpreting nearby seismic profiles and profiles on the conjugate margins using the same classification criteria, we construct regional maps of the distribution of crustal domains on both sides of the North Atlantic. These maps reveal significant variations in rifting style on the conjugate margins and along strike of each margin and also highlight the role of ancient transfer zones in compartmentalizing these rifting variations into four distinct regions. We propose that the limited localization of shallow topographically high serpentinized peridotite ridges on the Newfoundland-Iberia and Flemish Cap-Galicia Bank conjugate margins, was directly related to an increase in the rate of extension following the separation of Flemish Cap and Galicia Bank which exhumed deeper, less serpentinized mantle.

Habitat use in Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus inferred from diving behavior

To examine habitat use in Atlantic bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus, we used time series records from 20 archival tags and 7 pop-up satellite archival tags. Daily vertical profiles were classified into 3 dive types: (1) profiles restricted to surface waters by either bathymetry or thermal constraints; (2) profiles with frequent V-shaped dives that may be associated with transiting or searching behaviors; and (3) U-shaped profiles associated with putative foraging behavior. Fixed kernel probability contours were calculated for each of the dive profile classes. Key potential North Atlantic foraging habitats were identified in the NW Atlantic (Gulf of Maine/Scotian Shelf, Grand Banks and Flemish Cap), off Florida and the Bahamas and in the NE Atlantic. These ‘hotspot’ regions encompass areas of high seas that may be important to future conservation and management of the species. U-shaped dive profiles were shallower and surface returns were more frequent in areas where subsurface temperatures were coldest. The presence of Atlantic bluefin tuna coincided with peak productivity and sea surface temperatures in 3 of the 5 hotspot areas. Further analyses examined spatial and temporal patterns of transatlantic migrations and deep diving behavior in the Strait of Gibraltar.

Freshwater export from the Labrador Current to the North Atlantic Current at the Tail of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland

Historical hydrographic data, spanning the period 1896–2006, are used to examine the annual mean and seasonal variations in the distribution of freshwater along and across the shelf/slope boundary along the Labrador and Newfoundland Shelves and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Particular attention is paid to the export of freshwater along the eastern Grand Banks, between Flemish Cap and the Tail of the Grand Banks, as this has long been identified as a preferential region for the loss of mass and freshwater from the boundary. The data are combined into isopycnally averaged long-term annual and monthly mean gridded property fields and the evolving distribution of fresh arctic-origin water is analyzed in fields of salinity anomaly, expressed as departures from the “central water” temperature–salinity relation of the Gulf Stream. The climatology confirms that cold/fresh northern-source waters are advected offshore within the retroflecting Labrador Current along the full length of the boundary between Flemish Cap and the Tail of the Grand Banks. In fact, it is estimated that most of the equatorward baroclinic transport at the boundary must retroflect back toward the north in order to explain the annual mean distribution of salinity in the climatology. While the retroflection of the Labrador Current appears seasonally robust, the freshwater distribution within the retroflection region varies in response to (1) the freshness of the water available for export which is set by the arrival and rapid flushing of the seasonal freshwater pulse at the boundary, (2) seasonal buoyancy forcing at the surface which alters the vertical stratification across the retroflection region, restricting certain isopycnal export pathways, and (3) the density structure along the eastern Grand Banks, which defines the progressive retroflection of the Labrador Current.