Maintenance mechanisms of plankton populations in frontal zones in the Benguela and Angola Current systems: a preface

This preface provides the background to, and synthesis of research findings from, a set of environmental research-driven cruises off southern Angola, Namibia and South Africa during February–March 2002, under the auspices the BENguela Environment Fisheries Interaction and Training (BENEFIT) Programme. The cruises formed part of the BENEFIT Shipboard Research Training Programme. Besides coastal upwelling characteristics of this eastern boundary current region, hydrographic discontinuities, strong fronts and low-oxygen conditions also appear to play an important role in the distribution of the life history of zoo- and ichthyoplankton populations.Keywords: Angola-Benguela Front, hydrography, hypoxia, ichthyoplankton, life-history strategies, zooplankton African Journal of Marine Science 2005, 27(3): 611–61