Performance of herring larvae in a simulated future ocean food web, using the "Kiel Off-Shore Mesocosms for future Ocean Simulations"

• Main Authors: Sswat, Michael, Boxhammer, Tim, Jutfelt, F., Clemmesen, Catriona, Riebesell, Ulf
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: GEOMAR 2016
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/34975/; https://oceanrep.geomar.de/id/eprint/34975/1/KOSMOS_HERRING_SWEDEN_2013.mp4; https://doi.org/10.3289/KOSMOS_HERRING_SWEDEN_2013

We studied the combined direct physiological and indirect food web effects of ocean acidification on herring larvae inside pelagic mesocosms. A natural plankton community of the Gullmarsfjord, Sweden was enclosed in the Kiel Off-Shore Mesocosms for future Ocean Simulations (KOSMOS) for 113 days from March to June 2013 at ambient and projected end-of-the-century CO2 levels (~760 µatm pCO2). Herring eggs were introduced into the mesocosms, where they hatched in mid of May. The larvae developed inside the mesocosms for ~6 weeks, feeding on prey organisms that experienced treatment CO2 levels for ~9 weeks. This video is meant as an illustration of the herring larvae«s performance inside our mesocosm units.