Project Outcomes - EAC

The AusCPR survey has been towing a CPR down the east coast of Australia monthly since June 2009 and the AusCPR team based at the Cleveland plankton laboratory in Queensland are now undertaking laboratory analyses for each sample, gathering a range of phytoplankton and zooplankton data. A Phytoplankton Colour Index (PCI) (an estimate of phytoplankton biomass) has been determined for each route, and, to date, 100 phyto- and 50 zooplankton species have been identified from the Brisbane to Melbourne route. With an ongoing dataset, the survey is now well placed to investigate effects of future events in context of historical data. For example, the AusCPR survey was able to monitor the impact of the large-scale dust storm in September 2009 investigating the effects of the increased iron input to the ocean on phytoplankton productivity. We are also able to examine effects of the increasing and decreasing strength of the EAC through the seasons, as well as the impact of smaller-scale oceanic features such as eddies, which are present down the east coast of Australia. A number of key zooplankton species have so far been detected, including euphausiids (known as krill and are important food for fish), salps and larvaceans (important in carbon cycling), pteropods (indicators of ocean acidification), chaetognaths and jellyfish (strongly influence fish recruitment through predation). The survey has also been monitoring harmful algal species (HABs) and noxious species such as species of Dinophysis and Lyngbya, which have the potential to effect human health.