The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey of the Plankton of the North Atlantic

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey (1931 to present) is the only long-term and ocean-basin-wide in-situ survey of plankton in the world. This award continues the CPR survey in the western Atlantic from Iceland to the eastern margin of the United States. It uses a consistent, cost-effective methodology deployed from ships-of-opportunity to continue a unique and invaluable time series of phytoplankton and zooplankton observations in the surface ocean. The primary objective of this project is to maintain the spatial and temporal integrity of the CPR time series and facilitate marine ecological research. Because plankton form the base of the marine food web, long-term and basin-scale observations allow us to understand how marine ecosystems respond to stressors such as climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and loss of biodiversity from fishing pressure, ultimately enabling ecosystem-based management of marine resources. Broader impacts include contributions to U.S. and international and integrated observing systems, marine policy, and marine resource management. Data from the CPR survey are made publicly accessible through the Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office. In addition, maintenance of a sample archive will maximize its use by the wider scientific community. This project observes and describes long-term, pelagic plankton variability and diversity in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The data are enabling scientists to interpret marine biological change and assess anthropogenic, climatically forced, and natural plankton variability over multi-decadal time scales. Scientific research is anticipated to advance a number of key lines of scientific inquiry that will incorporate responses of the marine plankton community to large-scale environmental change, how changes can impact ecosystem productivity, and how connected these changes are across the wider Atlantic. In addition, CPR research focuses on biodiversity and invasive species; sustainable use of marine bio-resources; and ecosystem health, ocean acidification, and micro-plastics. These themes are highly relevant to timely and compelling scientific questions, marine policy and management interests of the United States, and broad societal concerns regarding the marine environment. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.