Oceanic forcing of the dynamics at the continental margin west of Ireland and the effect on zooplankton distributions ...

• Main Authors: O’Shea, Colm, White, Martin
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: ASC 2008 - Theme session Q 2024
• Subjects: Ecosystem observation, processes and dynamics; Pressures, impacts, conservation, and management; north atlantic current; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25244254; https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/conference_contribution/Oceanic_forcing_of_the_dynamics_at_the_continental_margin_west_of_Ireland_and_the_effect_on_zooplankton_distributions/25244254

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Historical records from the Continuous Plankton Recorder survey in the Northeast Atlantic span from the 1960s to the present day. The Continuous Plankton Recorder is towed behind ships of opportunity (usually merchant vessels) and the samples are analysed and collated by the Sir AlisterHardy Foundation of Ocean Science in Plymouth, UK. This study has analysed these data for trends in zooplankton abundance and examined the effects of the regional oceanographic forcings upon significant keystone species. The hydrographic conditions to the west of Ireland have been studied, in particular the North Atlantic Current (NAC) and the Shelf Edge Current and the seasonal and interannual variations in their flows. These flows are strongly correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and efforts are made to elucidate these links through direct measurements of the currentfield. A number of direct and indirect measurements were used to observe these ...