Abstract

Antarctic krill, a small yet long-lived crustacean, occupies a vital role in the Southern Ocean ecosystem. It forms a key prey item of many of the marine higher predators, particularly in the Scotia Sea in the Southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Krill is found in a patchy distribution throughout the Southern Ocean, with strong links to both the advective flow of the ocean and to the sea ice environment. In this talk I will give an overview of the research that is taking place at the British Antarctic Survey to determine the distribution of krill, with results from field studies and model analyses.

Key references:

Murphy et al (2007) Spatial and temporal operation of the Scotia Sea ecosystem: a review of large-scale links in a krill centred food web. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B, 362, 113-148.

Thorpe et al (2007) Circumpolar connections between Antarctic krill (/Euphausia superba/ Dana) populations: Investigating the roles of ocean and sea ice transport. Deep-Sea Res. I, 54, 792-810.