Mithilfe von #Satellitendaten erkennt ein neues Verfahren das winzige #Zooplankton Calanus finmarchicus, das für Nordatlantische #Glattwale lebenswichtig ist.

Die Methode hilft, Fressgebiete im Golf von Maine vorherzusagen. Das könnte Kollisionen mit Schiffen und Verwicklungen in Fischereigeräte reduzieren. Die Daten stammen von NASA-Instrumenten wie #MODIS und künftig #PACE.

https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2025.1507638

#Tiefseebergbau bedroht nicht nur den #Meeresboden, sondern auch das empfindliche Leben in der mittleren #Wasserzone.

Die geplante Einleitung von Abwässern in etwa 1.200 Metern Tiefe könnte #Nahrungsnetze stören, #Zooplankton schädigen und die #Kohlenstoffbindung im Ozean beeinträchtigen.

In der kaum erforschten Clarion Clipperton Zone sind über 90 % der Arten noch unbekannt.

https://theconversation.com/deep-sea-mining-threatens-sea-life-in-a-way-no-one-is-thinking-about-by-dumping-debris-into-the-thriving-midwater-zone-247690

Weekend #Plankton #Factoid

Scientists love acronyms. This week's is UZELA, Underwater Zooplankton Enhancement Light Array. Corals worldwide are stressed by bleeching events due to #ClimateChange. This system uses phototactic behaviour (swim toward light) of #zooplankton to concentrate them up to 4x over reefs. #Coral polyps use their tentacles to immobilize and capture prey, which is vital when they lose their zooxanthellae algae symbionts during bleeching. #Science

https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/lom3.10669

Weekend #Plankton #Factoid

From Feb 3 - 7 2025 two members of my lab joined our CCGS Samuel Risley icebreaker to sample onboard for the binational Great Lakes WinterGrab. In doing so we had many issues collecting #zooplankton due to the ice and slush which formed in the nets. In spite of this we found several species of copepods carrying eggs. One of these is the calanoid Leptodiaptomus sicilis. Egg counts are vital for calculating secondary production.
The BLOG https://greatlakesfoodwebs.com/breaking-the-ice-for-the-wintergrab/

Undersea mountains are key hubs for sharks https://phys.org/news/2025-02-undersea-mountains-key-hubs-sharks.html paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.3003016

"#Zooplankton were twice as common at shallow #seamounts than in the open ocean, while #shark biomass was 41 times higher... #FilterFeeders may benefit from prey being blown over the peak, and the peak may also stop prey species from retreating into deeper water... Also, some predators appear to use seamounts as hubs to gather, socialize, mate or rest"