Ocean climate anomalies and the ecology of the North Sea

Edwards, M, Beaugrand, G, Reid, PC, Rowden, AA and Jones, MB 2002 Ocean climate anomalies and the ecology of the North Sea. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 239. 1-10.

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Abstract/Summary

Long-term changes in the plankton of the North Sea are investigated using data from the continuous plankton recorder (CPR) survey. During the last 4 decades, there appears to have been 2 large anomalous periods within the plankton data set, one that occurred in the late 1970s and the other in the late 1980s. These anomalous periods seem to be largely synchronous with unusual ocean climate conditions that have occurred episodically over a timescale of decades. The unusual ocean climate conditions prevailing at these 2 time periods appear to contain important hydrographical elements that involve oceanic incursions into the North Sea. This paper, using data from the CPR survey and providing evidence from other studies, focuses on the relationship between the long-term changes in the biology of the North Sea and these 2 exceptional hydro-climatic events. Here, we suggest that while atmospheric variability and associated changes in regional temperatures have a dominant effect on the marine environment, oceanic influences on the ecology of a semi-closed environment such as the North Sea may have been underestimated in the past.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Additional Keywords:	Zooplankton Phytoplankton Biomass Long-term changes Surface temperature Seasonal variations Climatic changes Environmental effects Plankton collecting devices Salinity data
Subjects:	Oceanography
Divisions:	Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science > Other (SAHFOS) (expired)
Depositing User:	EPrints Services
Date made live:	20 Sep 2006
Last Modified:	06 Jun 2017 15:56
URI:	https://plymsea.ac.uk/id/eprint/1319

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