acoustic observation of living organisms reveals the upper limit of the oxygen minimum zone声的观察生物体揭示了上限的氧气最小区域.pdfVIP

Acoustic Observation of Living Organisms Reveals the Upper Limit of the Oxygen Minimum Zone 1,2 ´ 1,2 2,3 Arnaud Bertrand *, Michael Ballon , Alexis Chaigneau ´ ` ´ 1 Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement, UMR212 EME, CRH, Sete, France, 2 Instituto del Mar del Peru, Esquina Gamarra y Gral. Valle s/n, Lima, Peru, 3 Institut de ´ Recherche pour le Developpement, IPSL/LOCEAN, UPMC/CNRS/IRD/MNHN, Paris, France Abstract Background: Oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) are expanding in the World Ocean as a result of climate change and direct anthropogenic influence. OMZ expansion greatly affects biogeochemical processes and marine life, especially by constraining the vertical habitat of most marine organisms. Currently, monitoring the variability of the upper limit of the OMZs relies on time intensive sampling protocols, causing poor spatial resolution. Methodology/Principal Findings: Using routine underwater acoustic observations of the vertical distribution of marine organisms, we propose a new method that allows determination of the upper limit of the OMZ with a high precision. Applied in the eastern South-Pacific, this original sampling technique provides high-resolution information on the depth of the upper OMZ allowing documentation of mesoscale and submesoscale features (e.g., eddies and filaments) that structure the upper ocean and the marine ecosystems. We also use this information to estimate the habitable volume for the world’s most exploited fish, the Peruvian anchovy (Engraulis ringens). Conclusions/Significance: This opportunistic method could be