The Patagonian Shelfbreak Front

This book provides a compilation of basic information on the topic of the Patagonian Shelfbreak front, but integrally reanalyzes this under modern paradigms. The book provides a synthesis of the ecosystem characteristics, encompassing physical and chemical oceanography, plankton, nekton and benthos communities, fisheries and conservation issues. It provides hypothesis to guide future research, and recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders.

Fronts play key roles in marine ecosystems, and shelfbreak fronts are ubiquitous elsewhere in the world ocean, broadening the interest of our proposal. The Patagonian shelfbreak front is a hot spot of marine life, with several associated fisheries and intensive use by marine birds and mammals.

This book will contribute to fill the information gap of the Southwestern Atlantic, a region where there is a growing interest in terms of conservation and management actions. Its primary audience are researchers and postgraduate students, being also relevant for conservation scientists and resource managers.

contains a balanced treatment of physical, chemical and biological features provide a comprehensive synthesis of the shelfbreak front ecosystem identifies and elucidates ecosystem services that will help designing actions for resource management and conservation includes process-oriented approaches to broaden the understanding of the shelfbreak front functioning

Autorentext

E. Marcelo Acha is a biologist; his research interest focus on the role of marine fronts on diversity, biological production and their effects on the species life histories in the Southwestern Atlantic. He is currently member of the National Council of Scientific of Scientific Research and Technology (CONICET), chief of the Fisheries Ecology Project (INIDEP), and Professor at the Mar del Plata University (Argentina).

Oscar O. Iribarne is an ecologist; his research interests focus primarily on understanding the role of ecological processes in determining diversity and secondary production on marine ecosystems. He is currently member of the National Council of Scientific Research and Technology (CONICET, Argentina), full Professor at the National University of Mar del Plata (UNMDP, Argentina) and Director of the Institute of Marine and Costal Research (IIMyC, Argentina).

Alberto R. Piola is a physical oceanographer, Professor Emeritus at Departmento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. His research is focused on the large-scale ocean circulation, regional oceanography, and the biological and biogeochemical impacts of ocean fronts.

Inhalt

Chapter 1 Introduction.- Chapter 2 Anatomy and dynamics of the Patagonia shelf-break front.- Chapter 3 The phytoplankton of the Patagonian shelf-break front.- Chapter 4 Zooplanktonic crustacea and ichthyoplankton of the Patagonian shelf-break sront.- Chapter 5 Nekton: fishes and squids.- Chapter 6 Benthic assemblages and biodiversity patterns of the shelf-break front.- Chapter 7 Fisheries in the shelf-break front.- Chapter 8 Seabirds in the argentine continental shelf and shelf-break.- Chapter 9 Patagonian shelf-break front: the ecosystem services hot-spot of the South West Atlantic Ocean.- Chapter 10 Species-dependent conservation in a South West Atlantic ecosystem.- Chapter 11 Food web topology associated with the Patagonian shelf-break front.