Deep Sea Research I

Deep-Sea Research I ] (]]]]) ]]]–]]] ARTICLE IN PRESS Corresponding author. Tel.: ; fax: . 0967-0637/$ - see front matter r 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2005.06.004 E-mail address: (V. Riandey). 1Present address: UR 098, IRD, Centre de Bel Air, BP 1386, 18524 Dakar, Senegal. Abstract This work represents a first step in understanding the impact of hydrodynamic features on the zooplankton dynamics in the Algerian Basin (southwestern Mediterranean Sea). The mesoscale distribution of mesozooplankton abundance, biomass, specific composition and size structure was investigated during ELISA-1 campaign (1997) in the framework of the program ELISA (Eddies and Leddies Interdisciplinary Study off Algeria, 1997–1998), partly dedicated to study the mesoscale features during 1997. Physical, biogeochemical and biological measurements were made on transects through two hydrodynamic features, one anticyclonic eddy and a small secondary shear cyclonic eddy. The use of combined zooplankton descriptors, i.e. biomass, abundance, size structure (e.g. NB-SS slope) and taxonomic structure, and of cumulative function allowed us to extract spatial trends in the anticyclonic eddy (AE 96-1).

• mesoscale dynamical


• distance between successive


• eddies


• station


• mediterranean sea


• algerian current


• western mediterranean


• ctd-rosette


• created between


• size structures