ECOAO
| Type | Oceanographic cruise |
|---|---|
| Ship | Antea |
| Ship owner | IRD |
| Dates | 05/03/2013 - 20/03/2013 |
| Chief scientist(s) | BREHMER Patrice  |
LABORATOIRE DES SCIENCES DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT MARIN - UMR 6539 Technopôle Brest-Iroise Rue Dumont d'Urville 29280 Plouzané +33(0)2 98 49 86 40 |
|
| DOI | 10.17600/13110030 |
| Objective | This cruise is part of the UMR LEMAR 2012-2015 four-year plan (Team 3 on Integrated study of ecosystem functioning and Western Africa cross-cutting orientation) and its related programme is the AWA project (BMBF-MESR). The ECOAO cruise's objective is to define the characteristics of the habitat in the Petite Côte region of Senegal during the upwelling period, in order to better understand the link between the zooplankton compartment and the small pelagic resources. Ultimately, our in situ observations will make it possible to appraise the fundamental biological processes governing the variability of this system. The results expected from the analysis of acoustic source data combined with environmental measurements will lead us to implement new methods for investigations, and most likely various levels of understanding. Our core objective is to simultaneously observe the pelagic habitat and the resources of small pelagics. Emphasis is given to in situ observation and modelling of the lower compartment of the food web. In the framework of this cruise, we propose a study to characterize zooplankton communities using multi-frequency acoustics (echosounders, TAPS and Multinet) and phytoplankton communities using optical microscopy and HPLC. Furthermore, we took advantage of the cruise to test a holographic camera on plankton and an array of hydrophones on groups of small pelagic schools. These latter results should enable us to set up new investigative methodologies for future cruises. This cruise was coupled with the UPSEN cruise, whose core objective was to describe the physical structure of the coastal upwelling (location and intensity) and how it evolves over time and space in a limited zone in the Petite Côte region of Senegal. |
