Spatial and temporal operation of the Scotia Sea ecosystem

• Main Authors: Murphy, EJ, Watkins, JL, Trathan, PN, Reid, K, Meredith, MP, Hill, SL, Thorpe, SE, Johnston, NM, Clarke, A, Tarling, GA, Collins, MA, Forcada, J, Atkinson, A, Ward, P, Staniland, IJ, Pond, DW, Cavanagh, RA, Shreeve, RS, Korb, RE, Whitehouse, MJ, Rodhouse, PG, Enderlein, P, Hirst, AG, Martin, AR, Briggs, DR, Cunningham, NJ, Fleming, AH
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012
• Subjects: Earth Sciences; Oceanography; Physical Oceanography; Scotia Sea; Levin; Longhurst; North Atlantic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781444347241.ch6; http://ecite.utas.edu.au/119773

Analysis of the operation of ocean ecosystems requiresan understanding of how the structure of the ecosystemis determined by interactions between physical,chemical and biological processes. Such analysis needsto consider the interactions across a wide range ofspatial (approx. 10 m10,000 km) and temporal (minutesto centuries) scales and trophic levels (primaryproducers to top predators) (Angel, 1994; Murphyet al., 1988; Werner et al., 2003). There are, however,few areas of the global ocean where there is sufficientknowledge to achieve such an integrated analysis(deYoung et al., 2004). Circulation patterns of themajor ocean gyres, such as the North Atlantic andPacific Oceans, involve movement of water massesthrough very different climatic regimes which favourdistinctly different groups of organisms (Longhurst,1998). Generating comprehensive views of theoperation of oceanic ecosystems is complicated as aresult of such heterogeneity in species distribution andecosystem structure (Levin, 1990; Longhurst, 1998;Murphy et al., 1988).