Mesozooplankton in the northern Wadden Sea of Sylt: Seasonal distribution and environmental parameters

A statistical analysis was performed to determine environmental factors of significant influence on the mesozooplankton in the northern Wadden Sea of Sylt (German Bight) in 1991. The total mesozooplankton (>76 μm) was significantly correlated with water temperature as was the case with the calanoid copepodAcartia sp.;Pseudo- andParacalanus sp. were influenced by the amount of rainfall, whereas the amount of the meroplanktonic larvae of the cirripedia was related to the amount of particulate organic nitrogen in the water. A comparison of the years 1984 and 1991 demonstrates the positive effect of temperature on the copepod speciesAcartia sp. in summer.