Shelfbreak Upwelling in the Western Beaufort Sea, Zooplankton Morphometrics data for August-September 2017

Atmospherically-forced wind-induced upwelling along the shelf break leads to enhanced feeding opportunities for intermediate links in the pelagic ecosystem that in turn sustain the exploitation of this environment by animals such as beluga, seabirds, and seals. The Beaufort Sea shelf break is a hotspot for upper trophic level animals because elevated numbers and biomass of large, high-energy zooplankton (e.g., lipid-rich copepods, euphausiids) are regularly upwelled from deeper water onto the shelf during winds from the east, retained there by frontal features when upwelling relaxes, and exploited by bowhead whales, seabirds, and forage fish that in turn are prey for piscivorous marine mammals, such as beluga whales. The zooplankton morphometric measurements were determined for dominant copepods and euphausiids collected with various nets. Data were acquired as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project "The Importance of Shelf Break Upwelling to Upper Trophic Level Ecology in the Western Beaufort Sea". Net samples were collected within the box 165 West (W) - 145 W, 69 North (N) - 72N between 30 August and 15 September 2017. PIs: Carin Ashjian (WHOI), Robert Campbell (URI), Michael Jech (NOAA), Joel Llopiz (WHOI), Michael Lowe (WHOI), Stephen Okkonen (UAF), Kathleen Stafford (APL-UW), Jinlun Zhang (APL-UW)受大气过程驱动的风致陆架坡折带（shelf break）上升流，为远洋生态系统（pelagic ecosystem）的中间营养级类群提供了更为充足的摄食契机，进而支撑了白鲸、海鸟与海豹等动物对该生境的开发利用。 波弗特海陆架坡折带是上层营养级（trophic level）动物的热点生境：当东风吹拂时，体型硕大、能量密度较高的大型浮游动物（zooplankton，例如富含脂质的桡足类（copepods）、磷虾类（euphausiids））会持续从深层海水被上升流裹挟至陆架区域；当上升流减弱时，这些浮游动物会通过锋面特征（frontal features）滞留于该区域，随后被弓头鲸、海鸟与饵料鱼类（forage fish）取食；而这些饵料鱼类又会成为白鲸等食鱼性海洋哺乳动物（piscivorous marine mammals）的猎物。 本数据集针对多种网具采集到的优势桡足类（copepods）与磷虾类（euphausiids）样本，开展了浮游动物（zooplankton）形态计量学测定（morphometric measurements）。 相关数据为美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation, NSF）资助的“西波弗特海陆架坡折上升流对上层营养级生态的重要性”项目的采集成果。 网采样本的采集区域为165°W至145°W、69°N至72°N的海域，采集时间为2017年8月30日至9月15日。 项目首席研究员：卡林·阿什吉安（WHOI）、罗伯特·坎贝尔（URI）、迈克尔·耶奇（NOAA）、乔尔·洛皮兹（WHOI）、迈克尔·洛（WHOI）、斯蒂芬·奥科南（UAF）、凯瑟琳·斯塔福德（APL-UW）、张锦伦（APL-UW）