An assessment of the zooplankton biomass in Campeche Canyon (southern Gulf of Mexico) during the "Nortes" storm season of 2011

Abstract

Biomass is a valuable indicator of biological production in any ecosystem and represents a proxy of secondary production in the case of zooplankton. This short communication aims to report zooplankton biomass values in the waters of the Campeche Canyon, southern Gulf of Mexico, during the "Nortes" storm season of 2011 and to explore their relationship with the hydrography and the circulation pattern. The results showed the presence of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies associated with high and low water density at the base of the pycnocline. The highest values of zooplankton biomass (>40 g 100 m-3) were observed in regions that presented higher water density values (~26.1 kg m-3). In comparison, the lowest zooplankton biomass values (<5 g 100 m-3) were associated with low water densities (<25.6 kg m-3). The results presented here contribute to elucidating the role that physical forcing plays on the zooplankton biomass of the region, particularly during a season in which the passage of extreme storms is widespread.