US-Canada Trans-boundary Fish and Lower Trophic Communities; Oceanography Component

Project Description

We document the species composition, abundance, and biomass of zooplankton in the Beaufort Sea (Arctic Ocean). Zooplankton are important components of the food web and link primary producers to upper trophic levels, such as fish and marine mammals. This work is carried out as a component of the US-Canada Trans-boundary Fish and Lower Trophic Communities project. As a whole, the US-Canada Trans-boundary Fish and Lower Trophic Communities project aims to survey Beaufort Sea Outer Continental Shelf Planning Area to document baseline information for marine fish, zooplankton, and benthic invertebrates. The project also gathers data to describe the physical oceanographic setting of the Beaufort Sea and supports the development of a food web model for marine mammals and fish. Our work provides a spatially comprehensive dataset that may be used to assess future changes in zooplankton communities in the face of climate change and increased industrial development in the region.