Zooplankton abundance from METEOR cruise M87/1 in April 2012

Zooplankton samples were taken in five depth strata using a Multinet type Midi, with 50 µm nets. The samples were taken during the second leg only, three times at station 1, two times at station 2 and once at station 3. Zooplankton were identified to species / genus and life-stage, and at least 300 individuals were counted per sample. 10 individuals of each stage / species were measured and the numbers of eggs counted.

Zooplankton collected in the ice covered Chupa Inlet (White Sea) on 6-7 April 2002

Size-, species- and age composition of zooplankton was studied in the ice-covered Chupa Inlet (White Sea, Kandalksha Bay) in early April 2002. The species composition of zooplankton was poor and typical for the end of the winter season, and abundance and biomass were considerably lower than in summer. In terms of biomass two species of copepods (Calanus glacialis and Pseudocalanus minutus) prevailed. Both species were already feeding on ice algae available and began to reproduce. Such early reproduction of Calanus glacialis was noted in the White Sea for the first time. Obtained results show that secondary production in the White Sea starts well before thawing of the ice cover.