Spatial heterogeneity of Pelagia noctiluca ephyrae linked to water masses in the Western Mediterranean.

ABSTRACT: Pelagia noctiluca is the most common jellyfish in the Western Mediterranean Sea, living in oceanic waters with a holoplanktonic lifecycle. Frequent outbreaks have been well documented in coastal areas, yet little is known about their offshore distribution. In this study we address the relationship between oceanographic structures and the distribution of P. noctiluca ephyrae along the central continental slope of the Western Mediterranean, covering a wide latitudinal gradient, during July-August 2016. The region is characterized by a rich and complex mesoscale surface circulation driven by the inflow of Atlantic Water into the Western Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. The results revealed a high variability in the ephyrae spatial paterns related with different water masses and

SUBMITTER: Pastor-Prieto M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8026071 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature