Water masses and mesoscale control on latitudinal and cross-shelf variations in larval fish assemblages off NW Africa
18 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables, 1 appendix supplemental material https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.10.003 We explore the associations between larval fish assemblages and oceanographic conditions in the upper ocean (top 200 m) along the African slope, from tropical (15°N) to subtropical (35°N) la...
| Published in: | Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers |
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | unknown |
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Pergamon Press
2016
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/140759 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.10.003 https://doi.org/10.13039/501100004837 |
| Summary: | 18 pages, 13 figures, 2 tables, 1 appendix supplemental material https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2016.10.003 We explore the associations between larval fish assemblages and oceanographic conditions in the upper ocean (top 200 m) along the African slope, from tropical (15°N) to subtropical (35°N) latitudes, during a period of intense upwelling. In this extensive region, the northward Mauritanian Current and Poleward Undercurrent carry South Atlantic Central Waters (SACW) while the southward Canary Upwelling Current transports North Atlantic Central Waters (NACW). South of Cape Blanc we only find SACW, and north of Cape Blanc there is NACW far offshore and a combination of NACW and SACW nearshore, separated by the Canary Upwelling Front (CUF). The larvae of different myctophid species serve as indicators of the water masses, e.g. S. veranyi and M. punctatum were found in some coastal stations that were dominated by NACW, while the tropical mesopelagic B. argyrogaster, H. macrochir, M. affine and S. kreffti were associated to the SACW. The along-slope offshore convergence of NACW and SACW takes place at the Cape Verde Frontal Zone (CVFZ), representing a region of extensive offshore export for larvae of coastal species, S. pilchardus and E. encrasicolus, far from their nearshore spawning area. The large-scale frontal systems (CVFZ and CUF) and mesoscale eddies contribute to retain larvae within productive waters, influencing both coastal and oceanic species This research has been funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion through projects MOC2 (Reference no. CTM2008-06438-C02-01) and VA-DE-RETRO (Reference no. CTM2014-56987-P) Peer Reviewed |
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