Abundance and productivity of the pelagic ecosystem along a transect across the northern Mid Atlantic Ridge in June 2003

• Main Authors: Gudfinnson, Hafsteinn G., Debes, Høgni, Falkenhaug, Tone, Gaard, Eilif, Gislason, Ástthor, Petursdottir, Hildur, Sigurdsson, Thorsteinn, Stupnikova, Alexandra, Valdimarsson, Hedinn
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: ICES 2008
• Subjects: pelagic fish; pelagisk fisk; phytoplankton; planteplankton; zooplankton; dyreplankton; VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Ecology: 488; VDP::Agriculture and fishery disciplines: 900::Fisheries science: 920::Resource biology: 921; Irminger Sea; Mid-Atlantic Ridge; Iceland; Sebastes mentella
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11250/102672

A research cruise was conducted into the Irminger Sea west and southwest of Iceland on the Icelandic vessel Árni Friðriksson, from 4-30 June 2003, investigating redfish, Sebastes mentella, other pelagic fishes, zooplankton, phytoplankton and the hydrography of the area. Part of the cruise was devoted to a special study on the physical and chemical factors as well as the abundance of phytoplankton, meso- and macrozooplankton and planktivorous fish on a transect across the northern part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR). This research is a part of the MAR-ECO project which aims to study the ecosystem associated with the northern MAR. In this paper we analyse the organisation of the pelagic ecosystem on the transect over the northern MAR, from phytoplankton to fish as apex predators. Keywords: MAR-ECO, Mid-Atlantic Ridge, environmental factors, phytoplankton, zooplankton, fish.