Global Change Master Directory (GCMD)

Data Sets

Services / Tools

Ancillary Descriptions

Are you using a browser that doesn't support JavaScript or have you disabled JavaScript?

If you have disabled JavaScript, you must re-enable JavaScript to use this page.
Or you can view this record using the Text Only Format.

GLOBEC-Germany - Trophic interactions between Zooplankton and Fish under the influence of Physical Processes

Entry ID: GLOBEC_108_DE_001

[ Get Data ]
[ Update this Record ]

Summary

Abstract: “Trophic Interactions between Zooplankton and Fish under the Influence of Physical Processes in the Baltic and North Sea (2002 – 2007)”

The international Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics (GLOBEC) programme was initiated in 1991 by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UNESCO. It is a core project of the International ... Geosphere-Biosphere Project (IGBP) with its research topics aiming at understanding how global change impacts abundance, diversity and productivity of marine populations (Barange & Harris 2003).

GLOBEC-Germany is the national German contribution to this core project focussing on the Baltic Sea and North Sea, to which Germany has adjoining coastlines. The two seas exhibit a gradient from marine (North Sea) to almost fresh water conditions (outer ends of the Baltic Sea). Main topic of the project was the investigation of interactions between zooplankton and fish under the influence of physical processes (Alheit 2004). Main sampling areas were located in the southern North Sea and German Bight, as well as in the Bornholm Basin in the Baltic Sea (Tamm et al. 2007).

In these areas herring (Clupea harengus L.), sprat (Sprattus sprattus L.) and cod (Gadus morhua L.) as well as numerous copepod populations experienced high fluctuations in recruitment and biomass since the middle of the 20th century (Alheit et al. 2005). Whereas a substantial decrease of individual weight of herring and sprat at high biomass was documented in the Baltic Sea, no such similarities were observed in the North Sea. It was assumed that this phenomenon is caused by food limitation (mainly copepods) in the Baltic Sea. However, it was not clear whether this was due to direct effects of trophic interactions (internal dynamics) in the rather simple food web of the Baltic Sea, or whether the decrease of some copepod populations is a consequence of physical processes (external forcing).

An interdisciplinary team of fishery biologists, planktologists, physiologists, geneticists, physical oceanographers and modellers investigated these questions in concerted actions. Field studies, experimental approaches and modelling were combined and applied to investigate the influence of physical processes and trophodynamic interactions. Top-down and bottom-up processes were studied comparatively in both ecosystems. Results were used to elucidate principal mechanisms accounting for the high variability of copepod production and success in fish recruitment. They also form the basis for strategic modelling and estimating recruitment success of fish. Numerous scientific studies, including results from PhD and diploma theses, were conducted and have improved our current understanding of mechanisms governing population dynamics on short time scales (Alheit 2007).

To insure sustainable and citeable storage the GLOBEC data were imported into the PANGAEA database of the World-Data-Centre (WDC) Mare.

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: Link to the data sets taken during GLOBEC-Germany

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 58.26

S: 52.37

E: 20.74

W: 1.05

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2002-03-01

Stop Date: 2006-12-31

Location Keywords

OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > BALTIC SEA

OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH SEA

CONTINENT > EUROPE > WESTERN EUROPE > GERMANY

Science Keywords

OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > ADVECTION

OCEANS > OCEAN CIRCULATION > OCEAN CURRENTS

ISO Topic Category

BIOTA

ENVIRONMENT

OCEANS

Project

GLOBEC > Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics, IGBP

IGBP > International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme

Ancillary Keywords

GLOBEC

Germany

Data Center

PANGAEA - Data Publisher for Earth & Environmental Science

Data Center URL: http://www.pangaea.de/

Data Center Personnel
Name: JAN SCHULZ Phone: +49(471)924149-2201 Phone: +49(1761)92419-31 Fax: +49(471)92419-2210 Email: jan.schulz at imare.de Contact Address: Institute for Marine Resources Klussmannstrasse City: Bremerhaven Postal Code: 27570 Country: Germany

Personnel

JAN SCHULZ

Role: DIF AUTHOR

Phone: +49(471)924149-2201

Phone: +49(1761)92419-31

Fax: +49(471)92419-2210

Email: jan.schulz at imare.de

Contact Address:

Institute for Marine Resources

Klussmannstrasse

City: Bremerhaven

Postal Code: 27570

Country: Germany

JÜRGEN ALHEIT

Role: INVESTIGATOR

Phone: +49 (381) 5197 - 208

Fax: +49 (381) 5197 - 440

Email: juergen.alheit at io-warnemuende.de

Contact Address:

Baltic Sea Research Institute

Seestrasse 15

City: Warnemuende

Postal Code: 18119

Country: Germany

Publications/References

Schulz, Jan, Tamm, Susanne, Moll, Andreas, Zabanski, Stefan (2008). GLOBEC-Germany - Integrated Datasets, WDC-MARE Reports, 7, 28 pp, incl. CD-ROM, ISSN 1611 - 6577 (print version), ISSN 1862 - 4022 (digital version), hdl:10013/epic.32135.

Creation and Review Dates

Last DIF Revision Date: 2009-10-26

Reformat as FGDC document

View Text Only Format

[ Update this Record ]