A 20 month study of zooplankton at three stations located across the transition zone between coastal and offshore waters in the central Great Barrier Reef lagoon was undertaken.The abundance and egg production rate of constituents of the zooplankton assemblage characteristic of the coastal zone rapidly increase subsequent to events such as flooding and upwelling. Sampling spanned two summer monsoonal seasons, the first of which (1990-91) was very wet. The second monsoonal season (1991-92) was very dry and was characterised by intrusive upwelling events from the Coral Sea. Chlorophyll a concentrations did not rise in the wet year, probably because of light limitation, but did rise as a result of upwelling. Terrestrial run-off in the wet year had a greater apparent effect on zooplankton abundance patterns than did upwelling in the dry year, except where coastal trapping allowed sufficient time for increases in zooplankton abundance to occur. Egg production rates by the copepods Acrocalanus gibber and Acrocalanus gracilis showed haphazard spatial differences. Nitrogen-specific egg production ranged between 0.03 and 0.21/day for Acrocalanus gibber, and between 0.13 and 0.41/day for Acrocalanus gracilis. The egg production rate by Acrocalanus gibber was food limited for most of the year and showed a poor correlation with temperature. This research was undertaken to examine the effects of the interaction between coastally trapped water and offshore water on zooplankton community structure and production.

The composition of the zooplankton community in a macrotidal (8m), tropical estuarine system (Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory, Australia) was studied over a 2 year period.In all, 32 copepod species were recorded, with small euryhaline marine copepod species such as Parvocalanus crassirostris, Bestiolina similis and Oithona aruensis dominating the zooplankton. Salinity, temperature, silica, particulate phosphorus (PP), total dissolved nitrogen (TDN), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), particulate nitrogen (PN) and total chlorophyll a were measured. Environmental variables were correlated with salinity, which had the strongest influence on community structure. Sites were grouped into three sample sets: River (BR - Blackmore River and ER - Elizabeth River); Inner Harbour (MA - Middle Arm and EA - East Arm); Middle (MH) and Outer (OH) Harbour. There was a significant drop in species richness from harbour to river sites. Samples were taken day and night at another site, B, to determine diurnal patterns.Seasons were designated as: Wet 2003 (December 2002 and February 2003), Dry 2003 (June and September 2003), Wet 2004 (December 2003 and February 2004), and Dry 2004 (July and October 2004).Plankton biomass was partitioned into 350µm size fractions. Average abundance (individual m-3) was measured and relative abundance (%) was calculated for the zooplankton community. Plankton abundances ranged between 30,000 and 110,000 m-3, and there were significant year, season and site differences. To describe biodiversity and determine the environmental factors that have the greatest impact on community structure. Copepod species: Acrocalanus gibber, A. gracilis, Arcatia pacifica, A. erythraea, A. fossae, A. sinjiensis, Bestiolina similis, Canthocalanus pauper, Corycaeus andrewsi, C. catus, C. dahli, C. dubius, C. pacificus, C. subtilis, Eucalanus pileatus, Euterina acutifrons, Labidocera minuta, Microstella sp., Oithona aruensis, O. attenuate, O. fallax, O. simplex, O. nana, O. nishidai, O. rigida, Onacea paraclevei, Paracalanus indicus, P. aculaeatus, P. aculaeatus minor, P. indicus, Parvocalanus crassirostris, Pseudodiaptomus sp., P. annandalei, P. griggae, P. mertoni, Tortanus barbartus; Calanoid, Cyclopoid, and Harpacticoid nauplii and copepodites.Other zooplankton components: Holoplankton (Chaetognatha, Euphausiid calyptosis, Appendicularia, Ostrocoda, Pteropoda, Salpida, decapod larvae); and Meroplankton (barnacle larvae, Bivalva, fish larvae, fish egg, Gastropoda, Polychaete, Brachyuran Zoea).A subset of the data has been provided to the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS, http://iobis.org/OBISWEB/DisplayMetaData.jsp?content=meta/1463.html).

Reef associated zooplankton were sampled at a fixed site in the north of the lagoon of Davies Reef in June, September and December 1989 and April 1990. Three sampling techniques were used to sample the zooplankton community on each occasion. Analysis of samples focussed on the copepod community. Triplicate vertical hauls of a 150 cm long, 50 cm diameter, 64 µm plankton net were made through the full water column and also for the top 6m only. Samples were taken over a 24 hour period (2 tidal cycles) at times corresponding to low tide, mid-tide (rising), high tide and mid-tide (falling). After each set of net hauls, Niskin casts were made at 3, 6 and 9 m depth and near the bottom. Subsamples of the water were filtered through a 35 µm filter for determination of the number of nauplii and additional subsamples were taken for chlorophyll analysis. Swarming copepod species, not well sampled using plankton nets, were observed using SCUBA and samples were collected and identified when swarms were abundant.In the laboratory, the preserved net samples were subsampled. Counts were made of adult copepods, identified to species and sex where possible, and juveniles identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. This research was undertaken to describe diurnal, tidal and seasonal changes in the reef associated copepod community in the water column in the lagoon at Davies Reef.

Zooplankton densities, zooplankton species identities, chlorophyll, transmissivity, and temperature data were collected from the ROBERT GORDON SPROUL, WECOMA, and CLIFFORD A. BARNES from May 5, 1997 to March 4, 1998. These data were submitted by the University of Washington as part of the Columbia River Estuarine Turbidity Maximum (CRETM) project. Data were collected using CTD and pump casts in the Columbia River estuary - Washington/Oregon.

Zooplankton was sampled in a mangrove forest, a mangrove drainage creek, the main stream of a mangrove dominated estuary, a seagrass flat at the entrance to the mangrove estuary and at an offshore (10 km) station in northeastern Australia approximately every 6 weeks between April 1985 and February 1986. Copepods, in particular Parvocalanus crassirostris, Paracalanus spp., several species of Oithona and Euterpina acutifrons were numerically dominant. Community structure often differed amongst mangrove habitats but mangrove habitats clustered separately from seagrass and bay habitats in classification analyses due to the abundance of meroplankton taxa, particularly invertebrate eggs and brachyuran zoea, in mangrove habitats. Total densities of zooplankton in mangrove and seagrass habitats were always higher than in the offshore bay habitat. Mangrove and seagrass habitats exhibited marked seasonality in densities of most taxa. Generally, seasonality in most taxa did not correlate with water temperature, salinity, mangrove litter fall or fish predation, although fish may have a significant influence on brachyuran zoea. There were often significant tidal variations in densities in mangrove creeks; low-tide densities were usually lower than high-tide values. Comparisons of the density of major prey taxa of fish in seagrass and mangrove habitats gave only partial support to the hypothesis that mangroves are more important nursery sites for zooplankton feeding juvenile fish because they are areas of greater food abundance; during the summer recruitment period of juvenile fish, brachyuran zoea, a major prey of fish, were an order of magnitude more abundant in mangrove habitats. This research was undertaken to investigate zooplankton dynamics in mangrove and other nearshore habitats and to test the hypothesis that between habitat differences in the densities of juvenile zooplankton feeding fishes reflect differences in the standing stock or taxonomic composition of zooplankton in these habitats. The mangrove forest site was sampled using a specially designed floating pump system (EZY-ZOOP). A boat-towed net (50cm diameter mouth, 105um mesh and fitted with a General Oceanic flow meter) was used to sample daytime zooplankton in the mangrove creek, mangrove mainstream, seagrass and bay habitats. Sampling was carried out using 5 minute oblique tows.

Zooplankton samples were collected at inshore coastal waters of south eastern Tasmania, between the years 1971 and 1972. Three stations were selected to cover the D'Entrecasteaux Channel, mouth of the Derwent River and the Storm Bay areas. Surface, midwater and bottom zooplankton samples were collected monthly for a period of twelve months during the day as well as night time, using horizontal tows. Data for temperature and salinity were also obtained from the stations.

Plankton community composition studies were carried out of the mangrove environments of the Haughton River and in the northern rivers of Queensland (Daintree, McIvor, Lockhart, Claudie and Pascoe), Egg production experiments were carried out in the laboratory in the case of the Haughton River. Samples were collected from the Cromarty Landing at the Haughton River, in Niskin bottle and preserved for analysis. Oithona Spp females were counted, and separated by those that were not ovigerous, those carrying one egg sac, and those carrying two egg sacs. Egg production was estimated by the egg-ratio method. Feeding and predation experiments were also conducted. Egg production rates from the Cape York rivers were calculated by the same method carried out onboard. Feeding and metabolic experiments were also conducted and differed markedly from the experiments from the Haughton River, thought to be due to tropic determinants. This research was undertaken to improve our understanding of the contribution of zooplankton to energy flow in mangrove ecosystems.

The occurence and distribution of zooplankton species off the east coast of Tasmania was investigated between 1971 and 1973. Samples were collected at stations distributed along three transects extending seaward. Temperature and salinity data was collected at the same time.

Phytoplankton were identified and relative abundance estimated in water samples collected between 1975 and 1977 in the central Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Three reefs (John Brewer, Davies and Little Broadhurst) were sampled. Four stations were sampled within the lagoon of each reef and 4 stations sampled in the open waters outside each reef. John Brewer Reef was sampled once (February 1977) as was Little Broadhurst Reef (November/December 1976). Davies Reef was sampled three times (September 1976, December 1976 and March 1977).Twenty stations, separated into two transects, were sampled in inter-reefal areas across the Great Barrier Reef and in the Coral Sea. Transect 1 (Stations 1-9) was sampled in April/May 1975 and Transect 2 (Stations 11-20) was sampled in June/July 1975. Each transect was sampled at times when there was no Trichodesmium bloom. Three cross-shelf (inner-shelf) stations (21-23) were established and sampled approximately fortnightly. Stations 21 and 22 were sampled between December 1975 and November 1976. Station 23 was sampled between December 1976 and November 1977.Five inshore stations located between Cape Bowling Green and John Brewer Reef were sampled at irregular intervals between December 1975 and May 1976. All samples were taken at a time when there was a marked Trichodesmium bloom. Water samples were taken from approximately 1 m below the surface with 5 litre Niskin bottles. Subsamples of 500 ml were taken for phytoplankton species identification and immediately preserved with Lugol's solution made basic with sodium acetate. Aliquots of 100 ml of each sample were settled for approximately 3 days, and cell counts and examinations made by the inverted microscope method. In order to check that the samples were representative, collections were also made with a 20 um mesh net during 10 minute drifting trawls. Results were recorded in abundance categories for each species. This research was undertaken to investigate patterns in the temporal, spatial and species distribution of phytoplankton across the Great Barrier Reef and in the Coral Sea.