UDK 591.5 THE PRINCE EDWARD ISLANDS ’ LIFE-SUPPORT SYSTEM: RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL AND ADVECTED SOURCES

• Main Authors: Pakhomov E. A, Kaehler S, E. A. Pakhomov, S. Kaehler, R. Perissinotto
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Prince Edward Islands
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.519.3377; http://old.kpfu.ru/uz/151_2_est_7.pdf

Over the last 30 years, a number of mechanisms have been proposed to explain plankton dynamics as well as the supply of food to terrestrial top predators and inter-island bottom-dwelling communities around the Prince Edward Archipelago. Mechanisms include (a) the island’s lee upwelling hypothesis, (b) the intrusion of upstream generated eddies, (c) the trap-ping of water and local phytoplankton blooms linked to water column stability and nutrient runoff, (d) the replenishment/depletion hypothesis and (e) the utilization of distant frontal systems and topographically generated eddies. It appears that the ‘life-support system ’ of the Prince Edward Islands includes both water trapping and flow-through components. These are critically evaluated and their relative contributions assessed and linked to the variable oceanographic setting in the vicinity of the islands. Several recent stable isotope studies have quantified the importance of allochthonous and autochthonous (locally generated) sources of energy to various biotopes between the islands. The significance and spatial extent of kelp-derived carbon for the inter-island and downstream realms have largely been underestimated and are here assessed for the first time. Key words: Prince Edward Archipelago, allochthonous and autochthonous sources of energy.