Antarctic krill under sea ice: elevated abundance in a narrow band just south of ice edge.
We surveyed Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) under sea ice using the autonomous underwater vehicle Autosub-2. Krill were concentrated within a band under ice between 1 and 13 kilometers south of the ice edge. Within this band, krill densities were fivefold greater than that of open water. The under-ice environment has long been considered an important habitat for krill, but sampling difficulties have previously prevented direct observations under ice over the scale necessary for robust krill density estimation. Autosub-2 enabled us to make continuous high-resolution measurements of krill density under ice reaching 27 kilometers beyond the ice edge.
Brierley
Andrew S
AS
British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ET, UK. andrew.brierley@st-andrews.ac.uk
Fernandes
Paul G
PG
Brandon
Mark A
MA
Armstrong
Frederick
F
Millard
Nicholas W
NW
McPhail
Steven D
SD
Stevenson
Peter
P
Pebody
Miles
M
Perrett
James
J
Squires
Mark
M
Bone
Douglas G
DG
Griffiths
Gwyn
G
D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D003445:Crustacea / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004777:Environment; D007053:Ice; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011156:Population Density; D012044:Regression Analysis
D007053:Ice