Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

CS37 Zooplankton

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 10:45:00 AM

Location: Aztec

Remsen, A, W, University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, USA, aremsen@marine.usf.edu

Samson, S, , University of South Florida, Center for Ocean Technology, St. Petersburg, USA, ssamson@marine.usf.edu

Hopkins, T, L, University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg, USA, thopkins@marine.usf.edu

Comparison of in-situ OPC, SIPPER and Net data from oceanic waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

In situ calibrations to verify performance of optical zooplankton methods have been limited, but are essential for determining the efficacy of the methods in describing the zooplankton assemblage being sampled. We present data collected in the upper 200 meters of the northeast Gulf of Mexico comparing discrete zooplankton net estimates of abundance and size distribution with estimates concurrently collected using an Optical Plankton Counter and a new zooplankton imaging system, the Shadow Image Particle Profile Evaluation Recorder (SIPPER). Results indicate that the SIPPER counts more zooplankton-sized particles than either the OPC or the zooplankton nets. Some of this difference is due to the ability of the SIPPER to discriminate highly transparent gelatinous organisms and fragile aggregates that can be missed by the OPC and pass through the net system.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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