Long-term observations on the Bering Sea shelf: biophysical mooring data from mooring site 8

C) and stability in the nutrient supply have all been a result of the data collected on these moorings. Data from M2 has quantified the warming that occurred over the southern shelf during 2001-2005. This project (O1.1) will continue the time series of temperature, salinity, fluorescence, currents, zooplankton abundance (Tracor Acoustic Profiling System (TAPS-8) at M2 and possibly M4), nitrate, and oxygen (at M2 and possibly M5) at four mooring sites on the Bering Sea shelf.

In addition during the late spring and summer a surface mooring (two if ice permits) will be deployed that will measure meteorological variables (air temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, wind velocity and solar photosynthetically active radiation (PAR)). The surface moorings permit real time reporting of selected data. Data from these moorings are also critical to model verification.

Products include mixed layer depth, heat content, temperature, position of the transition between southern pelagic-dominated shelf and northern benthic-dominated shelf, advection, nutrient supply and timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom.