ABSTRACT
PAUL BUCKLEY7, ELIZABETH J. COOK1, STEPHEN R. DYE7, MARTIN EDWARDS8, LIAM FERNAND7,PETER KERSHAW7, JULIAN METCALFE7, SVEIN ØSTERHUS3,
TED POTTER7, EGIL SAKSHAUG9, DOUGLAS SPEIRS10, ERLING STENEVIK11, MIKE ST. JOHN12, FREDE THINGSTAD13 & BEN WILSON1
1Scottish Association for Marine Science, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, Oban, PA37 1QA, UK
2Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Prospect Place, Plymouth, PL1 3DH, UK 3Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Allegata 55, N-5007 Bergen, Norway
4National Oceanography Centre, University of Southampton, Waterfront Campus, Southampton, SO14 3ZH, UK
5School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK 6NIOZ-Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59,
1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands 7CEFAS, Pakefield Road, Lowestoft, NR33 0HT, UK
8SAHFOS, The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB, UK 9Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Hogskoleringen 1,
Gloshaugen, 7491 Trondheim, Norway 10University of Strathclyde, Livingstone Tower, Richmond Street, Glasgow, G1 1XH, UK
11Institute of Marine Research, Nordnesgate 50, P.O. Box 1870 Nordnes, 5817 Bergen, Norway 12Hamburg University, Institute for Hydrobiology and Fisheries Science,
Olbersweg 24, 22767 Hamburg, Germany 13University of Bergen, Jahnebakken 5, P.O. Box 7800, N-5020 Bergen, Norway
E-mail: clive.fox@sams.ac.uk
Abstract This review examines interregional linkages and gives an overview perspective on marine ecosystem functioning in the north-eastern Atlantic. It is based on three of the ‘systems’ considered by the European Network of Excellence for Ocean Ecosystems Analysis (EUR-OCEANS was established in 2004 under the European Framework VI funding programme to promote integration of marine ecological research within Europe), the Arctic and Nordic Seas, North Atlantic shelf seas and North Atlantic. The three systems share common open boundaries and the transport of water, heat, nutrients and particulates across these boundaries modies local processes. Consistent with the EUR-OCEANS concept of ‘end-to-end’ analyses of marine food webs, the review takes an integrated approach linking ocean physics, lower trophic levels and working up the food web to top predators such as marine mammals. We begin with an overview of the regions focusing on the major physical patterns and their implications for the microbial community, phytoplankton, zooplankton, sh and top predators. Human-induced links between the regional systems are then
considered and nally possible changes in the regional linkages over the next century are discussed. Because of the scale of potential impacts of climate change, this issue is considered in a separate section. The review demonstrates that the functioning of the ecosystems in each of the regions cannot be considered in isolation and the role of the atmosphere and ocean currents in linking the North Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic shelf seas and the Arctic and Nordic Seas must be taken into account. Studying the North Atlantic and associated shelf seas as an integrated ‘basin-scale’ system will be a key challenge for the early twenty-rst century. This requires a multinational approach that should lead to improved ecosystem-based approaches to conservation of natural resources, the maintenance of biodiversity, and a better understanding of the key role of the north-eastern Atlantic in the global carbon cycle.
