Abstract
The capability of the Optical Plankton Count er (OPC) to examine the abundance and size distribution of zooplankton was tested in Storfjorden, Norway, in June 1993. Selected material obtained from net sampling was measured with a laboratory version of the OPC and compared with microscope analysis in order to identify main species in the in situ size frequency distributions obtained by the submersible version of the OPC. Differences in the particle concentration between shallow and deep water layers were clearly resolved by the submersible OPC, but the high diversity of the zooplankton community and widely overlapping size ranges prevented a detailed analysis of the fine scale vertical distribution and the horizontal variability of abundance for distinct species. These results are used to discuss the limitations of the OPC for rapid and continuous surveying of spatial distribution and abundance of zooplankton
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Archive of Fishery and Marine Research |
| Volume | 45 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Pages (from-to) | 271-280 |
| ISSN | 0944-1921 |
| Publication status | Published - 1997 |