Copepods in a warming climate: A pan-regional model investigation of zooplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean

• Applicant: Dr. Christoph Stegert
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: from 2009 to 2013
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 162430506

Examining the link between climate and zooplankton productivity is essential due to the important role of zooplankton in the transport of photosynthetically produced organic matter and passing it up the marine food web to higher trophic levels. Copepods (small crustaceans) form the major part of zooplankton in the North Atlantic Ocean and are the main food source for young fish.The proposed project addresses how changes in the distribution and productivity of copepod populations are linked to climate-driven physical processes and compares regional differences on the North European (incl. North Sea) and the American Continental Shelf. Both sites are linked by pan-regional climate patterns. The scientific questions, e.g. What causes biogeographical boundaries in some species not present in others?, are investigated by numerical models, which describe the marine ecosystem by matter fluxes (i.e. exchange of carbon and nutrients between different components and transport through ocean currents).The link to international projects (GLOBEC, BASIN) allows input through scientific collaboration and can be a valuable contribution to these research programs.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Rubao Ji, Ph.D.