LIFECO: Distribution and abundance of plankton and fish relative to frontal processes

This work package is part of the LIFECO programme: LInking hydrographic Frontal activity to ECOsystem dynamics in the North Sea and Skagerrak - importance to fish stock recruitment.

The purpose of this work package is to resolve the horizontal distribution and abundance of key zooplankton and fish species/life stages in frontal and adjacent non-frontal regions. Furthermore, we will resolve their diurnal vertical migration patterns as well as the migratory behaviour of key piscivorous predators across and along fronts using hydroacoustic techniques. In order to do so we will:

1) Resolve vertical gradients
2) Resolve the dynamics of patterns.
3) Resolve the interaction between physics,
spatial patterns and migratory behaviour

Furthermore, horizontal migration of key piscivorous fish species will be analyzed by tagging fish with coded acoustic pings and tracking their movements in frontal areas.