Micronekton distribution in the southwest Pacific (New Caledonia) inferred from shipboard-ADCP backscatter data

Type Article
Date 2020-05
Language English
Author(s) Receveur Aurore1, Kestenare Elodie2, Allain Valerie1, Ménard Frédéric3, Cravatte Sophie2, Lebourges-Dhaussy Anne4, Lehodey Patrick5, Mangeas Morgan6, Smith Neville1, Radenac Marie-Hélène2, Menkes Christophe6
Affiliation(s) 1 : OFP/FEMA, Pacific Community, 95 Promenade Roger Laroque, BP D5, 98848 Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie
2 : LEGOS, Univ.de Toulouse, IRD, CNES, CNRS, UPS, 14 Avenue Edouard Belin, 31400 Toulouse, France
3 : Aix Marseille Univ., Univ. de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, MIO, Campus de Luminy – OCEANOMED, Bâtiment Méditerranée, 13288 Marseille, France
4 : IRD, Univ. Brest, CNRS, Ifremer, LEMAR, Campus Ifremer, BP70, 29280 Plouzané, France
5 : CLS, Sustainable Fisheries, Marine Ecosystem Modelling, 11 Rue Hermes, 31520 Ramonville, France
6 : ENTROPIE, UMR 9220, IRD, Univ. de La Réunion, CNRS, 101 Promenade Roger Laroque, 98800 Nouméa, Nouvelle-Calédonie
Source Deep-sea Research Part I-oceanographic Research Papers (0967-0637) (Elsevier BV), 2020-05 , Vol. 159 , P. 103237 (17p.)
DOI 10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103237
WOS© Times Cited 12
Keyword(s) Micronekton, Southwest Pacific ocean, SEAPODYM, Acoustic, Ecosystem
Abstract

Acoustic data are invaluable information sources for characterizing the distribution and abundance of mid-trophic-level organisms (micronekton). These organisms play a pivotal role in the ecosystem as prey of top predators and as predators of low-trophic-level organisms. Although shipboard-ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profiler) acoustic backscatter signal intensity cannot provide an absolute biomass estimate, it may be a useful proxy to investigate variability in the distribution and relative density of micronekton. This study used acoustic recordings data spread across 19 years (1999–2017) from 54 ADCP cruises in New Caledonia’s subtropical EEZ (exclusive economic zone) to assess seasonal and interannual variabilities and spatial distribution of micronekton. The dataset was composed of two different ADCPs: 150 kHz for the first period, followed by 75 kHz for more recent years. We examined the 20–120 m averaged scattering layer. Using the few cruises with concurrent EK60 measurements, we proposed that the backscatter from the ADCPs and 70 kHz EK60 were sufficiently closely linked to allow the use of the backscatter signal from the ADCPs in a combined dataset over the full time series. We then designed a GAMM (generalized additive mixed model) model that takes into account the two ADCP devices as well as temporal variability. After accounting for the effect of the devices, we showed that the acoustic signal was mainly driven by diel vertical migration, season, year, and ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation). In a second step, a consensus model between two statistical approaches (GAMM and SVM) (support vector machine) was constructed, linking the nighttime 20–120 m backscatter to the oceanographic and geographic environment. This model showed that sea surface temperature was the main factor driving backscatter variability in the EEZ, with intensified backscatter during the austral summer (December to May) in the northern part of the EEZ. We showed that acoustic density differed significantly, spatially and temporally from micronekton biomass predicted for the same period by the SEAPODYM-MTL (mid-trophic level) ecosystem model. The seasonal cycle given by ADCP data lagged behind the SEAPODYM-MTL seasonal cycle by around three months. Reasons to explain these differences and further needs in observation and modeling were explored in the discussion. In addition to providing new insights for micronekton dynamics in this EEZ (i.e., the science needed for ecosystem-based fisheries management), the data should help improve our ability to model this key trophic component.

 

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Receveur Aurore, Kestenare Elodie, Allain Valerie, Ménard Frédéric, Cravatte Sophie, Lebourges-Dhaussy Anne, Lehodey Patrick, Mangeas Morgan, Smith Neville, Radenac Marie-Hélène, Menkes Christophe (2020). Micronekton distribution in the southwest Pacific (New Caledonia) inferred from shipboard-ADCP backscatter data. Deep-sea Research Part I-oceanographic Research Papers, 159, 103237 (17p.). Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr.2020.103237 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00609/72078/