Continuous Plankton Records: Annual Fluctuations of the Plankton in the Western English Channel, 1958–83

Surveys of the plankton at a depth of 10 m in the western English Channel have been carried out at monthly intervals from 1958 onwards using Continuous Plankton Recorders to provide data on annual fluctuations in abundance of the plankton. Interpretation of these results has been attempted by empirical associations with environmental factors (salinity, sea-surface temperature, radiation, atmospheric pressure patterns, wind speed and current strength). Principal component analysis has been used to extract the main patterns of change and correlation analysis for assessing the relationship between the plankton and the environmental factors. There are complex relationships between the plankton and all environmental factors, supporting previous conclusions that the long-term changes are mediated through interaction between the plankton and the climate. Spectral analysis showed long-term trends and shorter cycles of six and three to four years in both the biological and physical elements, indicating that changes in the western Channel are responding to changes in climate over a much wider area

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