Detecting relationships between the interannual variability in ecological time series and climate using a multivariate statistical approach - a case study on Helgoland Roads zooplankton

A multivariate statistical approach is presented that allows a systematic search for potential relationships between the variability in ecological time series and climate records. In this study, interannual variability in large- and mesoscale climate variables in the North Sea region is compared with variability in local zooplankton observations from Helgoland. The species Noctiluca scintillans (Protozoa), Temora longicornis and Acartia sp. (Copepoda), and spionid larvae (Polychaeta) are examined. The multivariate model detected several high correlations between zooplankton abundance and winter climate. Based on these correlations, complementary hypotheses about the causal relationships are discussed using available local data.