Distribution, abundance, and diversity of euphausiids and their relationships with hydrodynamic processes in Campeche Canyon, Gulf of Mexico  <span class="so-article-trans-title" dir="auto"> Translated title: Distribución, abundancia y diversidad de eufáusidos, y su relación con los procesos hidrodinámicos en el cañón de Campeche, golfo de México </span>

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Abstract

Abstract We analyzed the abundance, diversity, and distribution of euphausiids and their relationship with hydrodynamic processes from February 2011 to October 2012 in the Campeche Canyon in the southern Gulf of Mexico. Sampling was conducted at 55 oceanographic stations and zooplankton were captured using horizontal trawls. Environmental variables (temperature, salinity, and oxygen) and phytoplankton fluorescence were recorded at different depths. Twenty-four species of euphausiids representing the genera Euphausia, Nematobrachion, Nematoscelis, Stylocheiron, and Thysanopoda were identified. Stylocheiron carinatum was abundant in February and October, with the furcilia stage always the dominant one. Differences were observed among the 4 zones identified based on the bathymetric criteria; zone III (axis and head of the canyon) presented the highest diversity of euphausiids between 100 and 200 m with 2.14 bits Ind-1 in February and 1.99 bits Ind-1 in October. The spatial-temporal distribution of euphausiids was heterogeneous in water bodies with temperatures between 15 and 22 °C and low dissolved oxygen concentrations, which were distributed outside the maximum concentrations of chlorophyll-a (2,127 mg m-3) and had an affinity for the frontal regions between cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies.

Translated abstract

Resumen Se analizó la abundancia, diversidad y distribución de eufáusidos y su relación con procesos hidrodinámicos entre febrero de 2011 y octubre de 2012 en el cañón de Campeche, sur del golfo de México. Se muestrearon un total de 55 estaciones para las cuales se utilizaron redes de arrastre horizontales para capturar organismos de zooplancton y variables ambientales (temperatura, salinidad y oxígeno). Los niveles de fluorescencia del fitoplancton se registraron a diferentes profundidades. Se identificaron 24 especies de eufáusidos de los géneros Euphausia, Nematobrachion, Nematoscelis, Stylocheiron y Thysanopoda. Stylocheiron carinatum fue abundante en febrero y octubre; la etapa de furcilia fue siempre la más abundante. El análisis batimétrico permitió la regionalización en 4 zonas; la zona III (eje y cabecera del cañón) tuvo mayor diversidad de eufáusidos a 100 y 200 m de profundidad con 2.14 bits Ind-1 en febrero y 1.99 bits Ind-1 en octubre. La distribución espaciotemporal de los eufáusidos fue heterogénea en cuerpos de agua con temperaturas entre 15° y 22 °C y bajas concentraciones de oxígeno, que se distribuyeron fuera de las concentraciones máximas de clorofila-a (Chl-a) (2,127 mg m-3), y con afinidad por los frentes geostróficos entre los remolinos ciclónicos y anticiclónicos.

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Flushing submarine canyons.

Miquel Canals, Joan Fabrés, Serge Heussner … (2006)

The continental slope is a steep, narrow fringe separating the coastal zone from the deep ocean. During low sea-level stands, slides and dense, sediment-laden flows erode the outer continental shelf and the continental slope, leading to the formation of submarine canyons that funnel large volumes of sediment and organic matter from shallow regions to the deep ocean(1). During high sea-level stands, such as at present, these canyons still experience occasional sediment gravity flows(2-5), which are usually thought to be triggered by sediment failure or river flooding. Here we present observations from a submarine canyon on the Gulf of Lions margin, in the northwest Mediterranean Sea, that demonstrate that these flows can also be triggered by dense shelf water cascading (DSWC)-a type of current that is driven solely by seawater density contrast. Our results show that DSWC can transport large amounts of water and sediment, reshape submarine canyon floors and rapidly affect the deep-sea environment. This cascading is seasonal, resulting from the formation of dense water by cooling and/or evaporation, and occurs on both high- and low-latitude continental margins(6-8). DSWC may therefore transport large amounts of sediment and organic matter to the deep ocean. Furthermore, changes in the frequency and intensity of DSWC driven by future climate change may have a significant impact on the supply of organic matter to deep-sea ecosystems and on the amount of carbon stored on continental margins and in ocean basins.