The Mozambique channel : mesoscale dynamics and ecosystem responses

Two surveys were conducted in the Mozambique Channel in November 2009 and April/May 2010 to study the influence of mesoscale eddies on the zooplanktonic component of the ecosystem. Three complementary methods were used to sample zooplankton: (1) hydro-acoustics with a TAPS((TM)) multi-frequency zooplankton profiler; (2) in situ biological sampling using a Multinet with samples processed via the classical settled biovolume technique; (3) ZooScan image analysis which determines biovolume, size and taxonomic composition. This approach presented an ideal opportunity to compare the results of these different methods which highlighted a large overlap in their detectable size range. Each method favoured a particular size fraction of the population, i.e. TAPS for the microzooplankton (3 mm ESR). In the case of the 2009 cruise, a well-established cyclone-anticyclone dipole was sampled, with results clearly indicating a higher concentration of zooplankton in the cyclonic eddy compared to the anticyclonic counterpart. The TAPS also detected high surface (0-22 m) concentrations of what appeared to be microzooplankton or marine snow in the cyclone. In 2010, the eddy field was less defined and more spatially variable compared to that in 2009. Two cyclonic and anticyclonic features were sampled during the cruise, each with different life histories and levels of stability. Results were inconsistent compared to those of 2009 and dependent on the size component of the population, with both cyclonic and anticyclonic features capable of having higher planktonic biomass. Differences in species composition between these mesoscale features were not too different and mainly a matter of relative biovolume. Less well formed eddy fields, particularly in the mid-Mozambique Channel, therefore appear to result in indistinct vertical and horizontal zooplankton distribution patterns