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ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil Advance Access originally published online on March 14, 2008
ICES Journal of Marine Science: Journal du Conseil 2008 65(3):318-324; doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsn042
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© 2008 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Oxford Journals. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Impact of climate change on long-term zooplankton biomass in the upwelling region of the Gulf of Guinea

George Wiafe1, Hawa B. Yaqub2, Martin A. Mensah2 and Christopher L. J. Frid3

1 Department of Oceanography and Fisheries, University of Ghana, PO Box LG 99, Legon, Ghana
2 Marine Fisheries Research Division, Fisheries Directorate, Ghana
3 University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 7ZB, England

Correspondence to G. Wiafe: tel: +233 244 657475; fax: +233 21 502701; e-mail: wiafeg{at}ug.edu.gh.

Wiafe, G., Yaqub, H. B., Mensah, M. A., and Frid, C. L. J. 2008. Impact of climate change on long-term zooplankton biomass in the upwelling region of the Gulf of Guinea. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 318–324.

We investigated long-term changes in coastal zooplankton in the upwelling region in the Gulf of Guinea, 1969–1992, in relation to climatic and biotic factors. We considered the role of hydrographic and climatic factors, i.e. sea surface temperature (SST), salinity, sea level pressure, windfield, and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), in the long-term variation of zooplankton in a multiple regression analysis, along with the abundance of Sardinella. Annual variation in zooplankton biomass was cyclical, with the annual peak occurring during the major upwelling season, July–September. Over the 24-year period, there was a downward trend in zooplankton biomass (equivalent to 6.33 ml per 1000 m3 per year). The decomposed trend in SST during the major upwelling revealed gradual warming of surface waters. This trend was believed to be the main influence on the abundance of the large copepod Calanoides carinatus (sensitive to temperatures above 23°C), which appears in the coastal waters only during the major upwelling season. The warming trend associated with global climate change could affect zooplankton community structure, especially during the major upwelling season. Global warming coupled with "top–down" (predation) control by Sardinella might be responsible for the long-term decline in zooplankton biomass in the upwelling region of the Gulf of Guinea.

Keywords: Calanoides carinatus, climate change, global warming, Gulf of Guinea, Sardinella, upwelling, zooplankton

Received 7 July 2007; accepted 11 February 2008; advance access publication 14 March 2008.


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