Shelfbreak Upwelling in the Western Beaufort Sea, Zooplankton Abundance data, August 2018.

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 abundance data were collected to measure upwelling impacts to the Beaufort shelf break community structure. 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". Data from net tows within the box 165 West (W) - 145 W, 69 North (N) - 72N between 8 and 23 August 2018.

受大气动力驱动的风致上升流沿陆架坡折带发育，为远洋生态系统的中间营养级生物提供了更为充足的摄食机会，进而支撑了白鲸、海鸟与海豹等动物对该海域的觅食利用。波弗特海陆架坡折带是高等营养级生物的热点栖息区域：东风吹拂时，富含脂质的桡足类、磷虾等大型高能浮游生物的丰度与生物量显著提升，并被从深层海水上升至陆架区域；当上升流减弱时，这些浮游生物会通过锋面特征滞留于该海域，进而被弓头鲸、海鸟与饵料鱼类取食，而后者又会成为白鲸等食鱼性海洋哺乳动物的猎物。本数据集的浮游生物丰度数据旨在评估上升流对波弗特海陆架坡折带群落结构的影响。数据由美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation，NSF）资助的项目“西波弗特海陆架坡折上升流对高等营养级生态的重要性”（The Importance of Shelf Break Upwelling to Upper Trophic Level Ecology in the Western Beaufort Sea）采集获得，采样覆盖2018年8月8日至23日期间西经165°-145°、北纬69°-72°海域内的浮游生物拖网数据。