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

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole MA

Investigators

Abstract

This project continues support for a portion of a large ongoing international sampling program, the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, in the North Atlantic Ocean. Phytoplankton and zooplankton are key components of ocean food webs and play important roles in ocean biogeochemical cycles. In addition, plankton communities respond quickly to changing ocean environmental conditions. The survey uses specialized equipment to collect and analyze ocean plankton using common methods across large space and time scales. The multidecadal, existing CPR database, paired with the continuing collection of samples from standard shipping routes, provide a cost-effective way of identifying and analyzing shifts in the plankton community. This project also includes support for workshops in which US scientists will use the latest CPR data to understand the current state of the plankton community and its implications for the health of our oceans. The Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey, operational since 1958, utilizes a mechanical sampler towed by commercial ships, which is more cost effective than collecting plankton at similar spatial and temporal scales using research vessels. Samples are assessed microscopically using common standards, making the resulting data sets unique for addressing questions about long-term variability and change in ocean plankton communities. This project is continuing support for sampling in the western Atlantic from Iceland to the eastern margin of the USA. The route passes through the climate-sensitive and highly-productive subpolar gyre region, where the state of plankton communities has broad implications for fisheries and carbon sequestration in the wider North Atlantic. In addition, the investigator is forming a working group of scientists who will use data from the CPR survey to develop and pursue major research themes, as well as implement a series of additional workshops to expand CPR data utilization among the US scientific community. Topics of interest include: examining timescales of change in plankton community diversity and structure, how connected these changes are to the wider ocean, and how change in plankton communities impact ecosystem function. 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.