Modeling the Transport and Exchange of Krill between the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia

NSF Org                  OPP
Latest Amendment Date    August 28, 1996
Award Number             9525806
Award Instr.             Standard Grant
Prgm Manager             Polly A. Penhale
                         OPP OFFICE OF POLAR PROGRAMS
                         O/D OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
Start Date               October 1, 1995
Expires                  September 30, 1998 (Estimated)
Expected Total Amt.      $235,999 (Estimated)
Investigator             Eileen E. Hofmann hofmann@ccpo.odu.edu
                         John M. Klinck
Sponsor                  Old Dominion Research Fdn
                         P.O. Box 6369
                         Norfolk, VA 23508  757/440-4293
NSF Program              5111 ANTARCTIC BIOLOGY & MEDICINE
Fld Science              43 Biological Oceanography
Fld Applictn             0204000 Oceanography



Abstract


9525806 Hofmann Increasing evidence indicates that krill populations 
surrounding South Georgia are supplied by krill exported from the Antarctic
Peninsula region. However, little knowledge of the potential krill transport
pathways exists. General circulation patterns for the Antarctic Peninsula
and Scotia Sea regions are known. However, recent observations have shown
considerable mesoscale structure to the flow on the continental shelf west of
the Peninsula, in Bransfield Strait, around Elephant Island and in the
Scotia Sea, which potentially influences krill transport and retention. 
Moreover, local hydrographic and  current conditions have considerable
influence on the development and growth of krill.  Hence, understanding and
elucidating krill transport pathways or possible retention regions requires
knowledge of the mesoscale current and water mass distributions. The overall
goal of the research is to investigate transport of krill between the Antarctic
Peninsula region across the Scotia Sea to South Georgia. 


To accomplish this general objective the following specific research
objectives will be pursued: (1) implement a circulation model for the
Antarctic Peninsula-Scotia Sea region; (2) interface an energetically based
model for the development of krill from larva to adult with the circulation
model; and (3) use the circulation-krill model to investigate the retention
and/or transport of krill in the Antarctic Peninsula to South Georgia. This
modeling study is a joint effort between E. Hofmann and J. Klinck at Old
Dominion University and Dr. Eugene Murphy at the British Antarctic Survey
(BAS) in Cambridge, England. It will provide a framework for analyzing,
synthesizing and integrating the large environmental and krill data sets
collected by BAS around South Georgia with those from the Antarctic
Peninsula region that have come from historical sources (e.g., BIOMASS) and 
the Palmer Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) Program and those from the
Bransfield Strait and Elephant Island regions from the U.S. Antarctic Marine
Living Resources (AMLR) program. Moreover, the proposed modeling studies are
relevant to the key science questions set forth by U.S. GLOBEC (GLOBEC,
1990) and International GLOBEC (GLOBEC, 1993) for the Southern Ocean. In
particular, it addresses issues related to the role of circulation and
biological processes in structuring Antarctic krill populations.  Also,
quantifying the krill transport (flux) between the Peninsula and Scotia Sea
has been identified as a high priority issue by the Convention for
Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).