Acoustic Assessment of Southern Ocean Salps and Their Ecosystem Impact

In the field, volume backscattering data from an acoustic echosounder will be collected at the same locations as the net tows to enable comparison of net and acoustic estimates of salp abundance. A physics-based scattering model for salps will be developed and validated, to determine if multiple acoustic frequencies can be used to discriminate between scattering associated with krill swarms and that from salp blooms. During the same period as the Antarctic field work, a parallel outreach and education study will be undertaken in Long Island, New York examining local gelatinous zooplankton.

This study will enable project participants to learn and practice research procedures and methods before traveling to Antarctica; provide a comparison time-series that will be used for educational purposes; and include many more students and teachers in the research project than would be able to participate in the Antarctic field component.