Journal
DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS
Volume 117, Issue -, Pages 120-137Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2016.10.003
Keywords
Fish larvae; Mesoscale hydrography; Canary upwelling; Cape Verde Frontal Zone; Mesoscale eddies
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Funding
- Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion [CTM2008-06438-C02-01, CTM2014-56987-P]
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We explore the associations between larval fish assemblages and oceanographic conditions in the upper ocean (top 200 m) along the African slope, from tropical (15 degrees N) to subtropical (35 degrees N) latitudes, during a period of intense upwelling. In this extensive region, the northward Mauritanian Current and Poleward Undercurrent carry South Atlantic Central Waters (SACW) while the southward Canary Upwelling Current transports North Atlantic Central Waters (NACW). South of Cape Blanc we only find SACW, and north of Cape Blanc there is NACW far offshore and a combination of NACW and SACW nearshore, separated by the Canary Upwelling Front (CUF). The larvae of different myctophid species serve as indicators of the water masses, e.g. S. veranyi and M. punctatum were found in some coastal stations that were dominated by NACW, while the tropical mesopelagic B. argyrogaster, H. macrochir, M. affine and S. kreffil were associated to the SACW. The along slope offshore convergence of NACW and SACW takes place at the Cape Verde Frontal Zone (CVFZ), representing a region of extensive offshore export for larvae of coastal species, S. pilchardus and E. encrasicolus, far from their nearshore spawning area. The large-scale frontal systems (CVFZ and CUF) and mesoscale eddies contribute to retain larvae within productive waters, influencing both coastal and oceanic species.
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