Plankton blooms, ocean circulation and the European slope current: Response to weather and climate in the Bay of Biscay and W English Channel (NE Atlantic)

Pingree, R. D.; García-Soto, Carlos

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2014.07.008

Cited by 19 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 87 publications

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“…Moreover, annual gridded maps of Chla biomass reveal that the greatest concentrations of Chl-a biomass were almost exclusively located near the shelf break, north of 44°N ( Figure S1, supplementary material). This implies that most of Chl-a biomass observed during the PELGAS survey might be produced by residual post-winter blooms, known to occur in offshore areas in March and April (Pingree and Garcia-Soto, 2014). Based on survey data only, it is not possible to ascertain if the observed decrease in the survey Chl-a index resulted from changes in blooms phenology, survey timing, or a combination of both factors, or from a genuine decrease of the BoB primary production.…”

Section: Hydrologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring small pelagic fish in the Bay of Biscay ecosystem, using indicators from an integrated survey

Doray

Petitgas

Huret

et al. 2018

Progress in Oceanography

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This paper is a practical contribution to two important debates raised by the implementation of marine ecosystem based management: (i) which ecosystem data can be provided by a fisheries survey optimised for ecosystem monitoring; and (ii) how to combine/select potential indicators to derive useful information on marine ecosystem status and dynamics? A suite of 143 potential indicators, including spatial indices, representing small pelagic fish and their biotic and abiotic environments are presented. Indicators were routinely derived from the PELGAS integrated ecosystem survey conducted in spring in the Bay of Biscay (BoB). The general patterns over time in this suite of 5-16 years, non-stationary time series are characterised using a methodology based on min-max autocorrelation factors (MAF), to select the most continuous indicators within, and across, several ecosystem components: hydrology, phytoplankton, mesozooplankton, small pelagic fish and megafauna. Potential interactions between selected indicators and external forcing variables, including climate and fishing, were assessed. The results confirm the importance of river discharges, bottom temperature, chlorophyll-a and mesozooplankton biomass in the dynamics of the BoB pelagic ecosystem. Small pelagic fish species appear to have followed distinct trajectories during the last 15 years. A marked decrease in anchovy and sardine mean weights at ages 1 and 2 over the last 15 years was highlighted; potentially caused by density-dependent competition. The quasi-absence of significant correlation between selected survey indicators and climate and fishing pressure proxies suggests a moderate exploitation rate of small pelagic fish resources, and confirms the so far limited effects of large-scale climate forcing on the BoB pelagic ecosystem. Perspectives for the assessment of marine ecosystem status on the basis of suites of indicators derived from integrated ecosystem surveys are discussed. Highlights ► A method for selecting relevant ecosystem indicators is applied to PELGAS integrated survey. ► River plume, bottom temperature, phyto & mesozooplankton selected as hydrobiology indicators. ► Small pelagic fish species appear to have followed distinct trajectories over the last 15 years. ► A marked decrease in mean weights of age 1 & 2 anchovy and sardine over the last 15 years is highlighted. ► Low impact of fishing and no effect of climate forcing on pelagic ecosystem in spring are confirmed.

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Section: Hydrologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring small pelagic fish in the Bay of Biscay ecosystem, using indicators from an integrated survey

Doray

Petitgas

Huret

et al. 2018

Progress in Oceanography

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“…The study area covered 3 023 280 km 2 in the North-East Atlantic; a vast area with complex hydrography (e.g. Pingree and Garcia-Soto, 2014;Marzocchi et al, 2015) and characterized by heterogeneous habitats, including continental shelf areas of varying extent, steep continental slopes and deep canyon systems. Productivity is also variable, with nutrient rich deep water brought to the surface in specific areas, such as off Galicia (NW Spain, Bode et al, 2009) and west of Ireland (Raine et al, 1990).…”

Section: Study Area and Survey Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution, abundance and habitat use of deep diving cetaceans in the North-East Atlantic

Rogan

Cañadas²,

Macleod

et al. 2017

Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography

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In spite of their oceanic habitat, deep diving cetacean species have been found to be affected by anthropogenic activities, with potential population impacts of high intensity sounds generated by naval research and oil prospecting receiving the most attention. Improving the knowledge of the distribution and abundance of this poorly known group is an essential prerequisite to inform mitigation strategies seeking to minimize their spatial and temporal overlap with human activities. We provide for the first time abundance estimates for five deep diving cetacean species (sperm whale, long-finned pilot whale, northern bottlenose whale, Cuvier's beaked whale and Sowerby's beaked whale) using data from three dedicated cetacean sighting surveys that covered the oceanic and shelf waters of the North-East Atlantic. Density surface modelling was used to obtain model-based estimates of abundance and to explore the physical and biological characteristics of the habitat used by these species. Distribution of all species was found to be significantly related to depth, distance from the 2000m depth contour, the contour index (a measure of variability in the seabed) and sea surface temperature. Predicted distribution maps also suggest that there is little spatial overlap between these species. Our results represent the best abundance estimates for deep-diving whales in the North-East Atlantic, predict areas of high density during summer and constitute important baseline information to guide future risk assessments of human activities on these species, evaluate potential spatial and temporal trends and inform EU Directives and future conservation efforts

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“…Today, the Bay of Biscay is characterized by a complex, variable sea-surface circulation with strong seasonal changes, marked by a September-October versus March-April SOMA pattern (e.g. Pingree and Le Cann, 1990; Pingree and Garcia-Soto, 2014). The main surface current in the Bay of Biscay is the European Slope Current (ESC), flowing northward along the Armorican Shelf (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in Holocene meridional circulation and poleward Atlantic flow: the Bay of Biscay as a nodal point

et al. 2017

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Plankton blooms, ocean circulation and the European slope current: Response to weather and climate in the Bay of Biscay and W English Channel (NE Atlantic)

Cited by 19 publications

References 87 publications

Monitoring small pelagic fish in the Bay of Biscay ecosystem, using indicators from an integrated survey

Monitoring small pelagic fish in the Bay of Biscay ecosystem, using indicators from an integrated survey

Distribution, abundance and habitat use of deep diving cetaceans in the North-East Atlantic

Changes in Holocene meridional circulation and poleward Atlantic flow: the Bay of Biscay as a nodal point

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