Cruise Results: NOAA Research Vessel GORDON GUNTER, Cruise No. GU 13-02 Spring Ecosystem Monitoring Survey Cruise Results, Cruise No. GU 13-02, Spring Ecosystems Monitoring Survey

The NOAA research vessel GORDON GUNTER sampled at a total of 155 stations from 9 June to 24 June 2013. The cruise had good coverage of the Mid-Atlantic Bight and Southern New England areas, but only partial coverage of Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine due to a combination of ship problems that delayed the start of the cruise, and some bad weather that prevented work on the eastern portions of Georges Bank and the Gulf of Maine. The primary objective of this cruise was to assess various components of the Northeast U.S. Continental Shelf Ecosystem from water currents to plankton, juvenile fishes, marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds. Specifically we assessed the spatial distribution of the following parameters: water currents, water properties, phytoplankton, microzooplankton, mesozooplankton, juvenile fish and invertebrates, sea turtles, marine mammals, and sea birds. Key parameters measured for the Ecosystem Monitoring Program included ichthyoplankton and zooplankton composition, abundance and distribution, plus water column temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll-a fluorescence. 2014 NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) NEFSC (Northeast Fisheries Science Center) Submitted Public Domain 1861