Biological effects of El Niño 1997-98 on a shallow subtropical ecosystem: Bahía Magdalena, Mexico

Sea surface temperature (SST), zooplankton biomass and chlorophyll a concentration, along with abundance of four copepodspecies: Acartia clausi, Acartia lilljeborgii, Paracalanus parvus and Calanus pacificus, and eggs and larvae of small pelagicfishes: Sardinops caeruleus, Scomber japonicus, Opistho...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Gladis A. López Ibarra, R. Palomares García, R. De Silva Dávila, R. Funes Rodríguez, M. A. Carballido Carranza, R. Avendaño Ibarra, A. Hinojosa Medina, A. Martínez López
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2003
País:México
Institución:Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Repositorio:Redalyc-IPN
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:56842317
Acceso en línea:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=56842317
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ciencias de la Tierra
98
copepods
El Niño 97
Chlorophyll a
Bahía Magdalena
Descripción
Sumario:Sea surface temperature (SST), zooplankton biomass and chlorophyll a concentration, along with abundance of four copepodspecies: Acartia clausi, Acartia lilljeborgii, Paracalanus parvus and Calanus pacificus, and eggs and larvae of small pelagicfishes: Sardinops caeruleus, Scomber japonicus, Opisthonema spp. and Anchoa spp., were measured and estimated from May1997 to December 1998 in Bahía Magdalena, Mexico. In order to study response of these species to seasonal environmentalconditions and to the anomalous warming conditions driven by the 1997-98 El Niño event. Positive SST anomalies were presentduring 15 months with a maximum value of +4.4 °C recorded during summer of 1997. Zooplankton biomass was lower by halfthan the previous El Niño 1982-83, but the seasonal pattern was maintained. A chlorophyll concentration maximum of 9.2 mg/m3was observed in late spring to early summer, with a minimum of 0.2 mg/m3 in winter. Copepod abundance changes and an increaseof tropical species were registered during the most intense phase of the warming. The temperate copepod Calanus pacificusassociated with the California Current, was recorded only during the cold period before the onset of El Niño. The seasonalabundance of autochtonous species followed the pattern previously recorded in the bay, but decreased by about one third, comparedto El Niño 1982-83. The abundance of temperate and tropical small pelagic fishes showed important changes related to theintense warming effect, with half the abundance of previous reports for temperate Sardinops caeruleus while, tropical Opisthonemaspp abundance increased by up to an order of magnitud in 1997-98.