Oceanographic variability and changes in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) abundance at South

• Main Authors: P. N. Trathan, A. S. Brierley, M. A. Brandon, D. G. Bone, C. Goss, S. A. Grant, E. J. Murphy, J. L. Watkins
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2003
• Subjects: Key words; acoustic density; Antarctic Circumpolar Current; Antarctic krill; Euphausia superba; inter- annual variability; oceanography; Scotia Sea; South Georgia; southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current boundary; southern Antarctic Circumpolar Current; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctic Krill
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.507.8818; http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~perg/Trathan_et_al_Fish_Oceanog_12_2003.pdf

Oceanographic data collected to the north of South Georgia were examined for three consecutive summers (1996/97, 1997/98, 1998/99). The results show the existence of a shelf break front during each period. The most reliable means of defining the front was the potential density anomaly at the near-surface potential temperature minimum. In each year, off-shelf waters were separated from on-shelf waters by water with a potential density anomaly between 27.22 and 27.29 kg m)3. During 1997/98, the near-surface potential temperature minimum was much colder and much shallower than in other years and was consistent with waters originating from much further south than South Georgia; these differences were further evident