SEASONAL-VARIATION OF THE DAILY ZOOPLANKTON MIGRATION IN THE GREENLAND SEA

Moored Acoustic, Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs) were used to analys e the daily vertical zooplankton migration and its seasonality. One-ye ar records of vertical velocity and acoustic backscatter were obtained at four stations in the Greenland Sea. Both parameters exhibited a di urnal cycle typical for vertically migrating zooplankton. Upward and d ownward migration occurred in short periods approximately 5 h long, an d peak migration velocities were around 1.5 cm s-1. Similar structures were observed at all four mooring sites in the 200-300 m depth range. Farther down, between 1000 and 1400 m, no daily migration was observe d. Strong seasonal variations are evident, and both the phase and inte nsity of the migration pattern change with daylight as the season prog resses. In summer and during the polar night the migration became very weak and was only detectable in the displacement of scattering layers . When the day/night contrast was large, intense upward or downward mo tion was accompanied by sloping backscatter isopleths. We observed two main scattering layers, a deep layer that varies in depth with season and an almost invariable shallow scattering layer at about 150 m dept h. The deep layer was interpreted as the ''resting depth'' of the migr ating plankter, and the latter as their ''feeding horizon''. Changes i n the ''resting depth'' from about 400 m in autumn and spring to about 200 m in winter lead to seasonal variations in the migration distance . This behaviour is discussed with respect to environmental conditions .