DIEL VERTICAL MIGRATION BY SALPA-ASPERA AND ITS POTENTIAL FOR LARGE-SCALE PARTICULATE ORGANIC-MATTER TRANSPORT TO THE DEEP-SEA

In mid-summer 1975 throughout the Western Slope Water of the North Atlantic Ocean, massive numbers of Salpa aspera performed a diel vertical migration of at least 800 m. This resulted in a movement of 85 to 90% of the total zooplankton biomass out of the upper 500 m during the day. Fecal pellet production and losses from this salp population were estimated to contribute approximately 12 mg C m-2 day-1 to the deep planktonic and benthic populations. If all this organic matter reached the deep-sea floor, it would represent over 100% of the daily deep-sea benthic infauna energy requirements. © 1979 Springer-Verlag.