Linear oceanographic features: A focus for research on recruitment processes

The early life of reef-associated organisms is generally spent in the plankton. Recent evidence suggests that oceanographic processes have an important influence on the fate of early developmental forms; a surprising number of these manifest themselves as lines at the ocean surface. Lines, or slicks, are convergence zones where organic material collects. Internal waves, Langmuir circulations, topographically controlled fronts, estuarine, coastal and oceanic fronts produce linear or curvi-linear slicks. The biological importance of these features is discussed. Slicks are ideal for investigating factors influencing meroplankton.