Regularly spaced rows of medusae in the Bering Sea: Role of Langmuir circulation1

In summer at night in the Bering Sea hydromedusae and scyphomedusae formed dense aggregations at the surface in convergences apparently produced by Langmuir circulation cells. During strong winds distance between parallel rows regularly exceeded 100 m; densities of medusae within rows reached 1,000...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Limnology and Oceanography
Main Authors: Hamner, William M., Schneider, David
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Wiley 1986
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.4319/lo.1986.31.1.0171
https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.4319%2Flo.1986.31.1.0171
https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.4319/lo.1986.31.1.0171
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Summary:In summer at night in the Bering Sea hydromedusae and scyphomedusae formed dense aggregations at the surface in convergences apparently produced by Langmuir circulation cells. During strong winds distance between parallel rows regularly exceeded 100 m; densities of medusae within rows reached 1,000 m −3 . Physical and behavioral factors can increase spatial aggregation and thereby alter the rate of encounter of medusae with prey, predators, and competitors. The importance of Langmuir circulation in rough seas has been underestimated.