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Effect of Environmental Factors on Zooplankton Abundance and Distribution in River Discharge Influence Areas in the Southern Gulf of Mexico

  • Román Rodolfo Vera-MendozaEmail author
  • David Alberto Salas-de-León
Chapter
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Abstract

From April 8th to 19th 2010 we studied the hydrodynamic patterns and zooplankton biomass in the Coatzacoalcos River discharge influence area to determine the zooplankton biomass, abundance, and distribution, and its dependence on physical variables. The physical variables were temperature, salinity, relative density (σT) and the speed and direction of currents. Zooplankton biomass was obtained from organism samples taken using zooplankton close-open systems and absolute intensity acoustic data from an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP). The Coatzacoalcos River forms an anticyclonic eddy to the east of the plume and a smaller cyclonic eddy is formed to the west. Currently, velocities (103 mm s−1) measured using the ADCP indicate a highly dynamic area. The vertical positions of the thermocline, pycnocline and halocline indicate that they are modulated by a cold, wind-mixed layer. Zooplankton biomass, abundance and distribution were modulated by physical parameters including salinity, which affected the temporal and spatial distribution of zooplankton biomass. The largest zooplankton biomass concentrations were sampled near the coast and to the west of the Coatzacoalcos river plume, in the mixed base layer.

Keywords

Zooplankton Gulf of Mexico Coatzacoalcos Fisheries productivity ADCP 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Authors and Affiliations

  • Román Rodolfo Vera-Mendoza
    • 1
    Email author
  • David Alberto Salas-de-León
    • 1
  1. 1.Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y LimnologíaUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMéxicoMéxico

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