Fishes inhabiting the mesopelagic zone probably account for the majority of the world’s fish biomass. As a result they have recently attracted considerable attention within science, industry and media, especially since they are part of the biological carbon pump and may be a potential new food source. However, the biology and ecology of mesopelagic fishes […]
The oceanic mesopelagic or twilight zone (from 200 to 1000 m depth) is inhabited by a huge variety of organisms represented by several zoological groups, both vertebrates and invertebrates. These mesopelagic species play an important role in oceanic predator-prey interactions. They all constitute the most important food elements for larger top predators, fish and mammals, […]
Ecosystem services trade-offs Bayesian network Description This decision support tool (DST) is part of the D6.2 of SUMMER (A parameterized interface (Bayesian network) to determine the trade-offs and overall change in the value of the ecosystem services). The DST allows to explore the trade-offs considering uncertainties under mesopelagic fishing scenarios and different sequestration valuation approaches. […]
🖐 key messages about the Mesopelagic Zone! (from http://JETZON.org) 👇 A thread 🧵@ocean_jetzon 📸: Hatchetfish, courtesy of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution @WHOI #mesopelagic #mesopelagiczone #summerh2020 #jetzon #oceanjetzon #oceantwilightzone #mesopelagicfish
In a recently published research paper, scientistis from Ifremer and La Rochelle University studied feeding strategies of fishes, all the way from the surface to the deepest depths in the Bay of Biscay. Fishes residing within the deep sea (200+ m), limited by food due to the lack of photosynthesis, are generally thought to have […]
Carbon, which is the building blocks of all living material – such as you and me, as well as fish and plankton in the sea, is continually being transported from the ocean surface into the deep. This process is known as “The Biological Carbon Pump”, consisting of multiple mechanisms which together cause the ocean to […]
Before the summer holidays, the children of the coastal villages of Mundaka and Ea (Biscay, Spain) had the opportunity to discover the creatures of the mesopelagic zone through a 3D video. The initiative was made possible thanks to two AZTI researchers, Gorka Gabiña and Jon Ruiz, and the material produced during the SUMMER project. Every […]
In an innovative crossover between art and science, artists Entangled Others and Daphne Xanthopoulou, together with oceanographer Joan Llort, have presented “SonarMies: Liquid Strata”. This installation creatively and experimentally transforms scientific data, transporting visitors to the deep sea where the sonic and visual heartbeat of the unknown mesopelagic ecosystem resonates. A Glimpse into the Twilight […]
Did you know there is a YouTube channel dedicated to mesopelagic research? Joint Exploration of the Twilight Zone Ocean Network, or JETZON – has monthly Zoom-calls, where researchers are able to present and discuss their results. You can sign up for the monthly zoom call here. If you don’t have the opportunity to participate live, […]
The organisms of the micronekton community (between 2 and 20 cm) are relatively good swimmers, and are able to avoid plankton nets. Conversely, they are too small for conventional commercial pelagic nets, which results on its extrusion through the large mesh sizes. Another feature of these organisms is that they tend to aggregate in different […]
The organic carbon produced by photosynthesis in the illuminated area of the ocean that is not consumed there, sediments to the so-called mesopelagic zone (between 200 and 1000 m deep) where it remains for decades, while the carbon that sediments in the deep ocean below 1000 m depth will remain sequestered for hundreds of years. […]
Michael Heath & Michael Brown University of Strathclyde’s marine modelling group recently hosted two MEESO project researchers; Berthe Vastenhoud and Amanda Schadeberg on internships from the Danish Technical University and Wageningen University & Research respectively. Berthe is completing her PhD on mesopelagic fish and wanted to work with MEESO modellers Douglas Speirs and Emma Dolmaire […]
NOC scientists are recently back from a cruise to the Porcupine Abyssal Plain observatory in the North Atlantic where they have testing a prototype camera system developed as part of SUMMER. We can hopefully report on that soon. It also gave us an excellent opportunity to produce a short film highlighting the mesopelagic. ‘The Twilight Zone’ spans […]
Ctenophores are bioluminescent, gelatinous organisms – also known as comb jellies. They swim by row-like motions with their “combs”, aligned in 8 rows around its body. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from a few millimeters to over one meter! Altough they look like jellyfish, ctenophores actually belong to an entirely different […]
