Publication Abstract

What we have learned about plankton variability and its physical controls from 70 years of CPR records

B. Planque and P.C. Reid

Alister Hardy developed the CPR with the goal of collecting plankton observations that were similar to atmospheric records, so that the climatic and planktonic systems could be compared. The first tow of the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey took place in September 1931 between Hull and Hamburg in the North Sea.

Seven decades and 200,000 samples later, the Continuous Plankton recorder survey is acheiving Hardy's original goal. The CPR survey is the longest plankton monitoring programme ever carried out and is now a major player in the biological oceanography research in the North Atlantic. From the description of plankton species in the early days of the survey, our understanding has evolved to seasonal dynamics, interannual and interdecadal variability, responses of populations to climatic forcing and changes in the ecosystem structure and dynamics. These discoveries were made possible because the sampling strategy of the survey has remained unaltered over decades that saw major technological changes.

70 years of CPR records have demonstrated that the plankton of the North Atlantic is undergoing dramatic changes in its abundance and composition and that, in accordance witht Hardy's original view, a large fraction of this variability can be attributed to fluctuations in the environment.

Reference:

B. Planque and P.C. Reid, 2002. What we have learned about plankton variability and its physical controls from 70 years of CPR records. ICES Marine Science Symposium, 215: 237-246.