Effects of advection on the seasonal abundance patterns of three species of planktonic calanoid copepods in Dabob Bay, Washington

The copepodid stage abundances of Calanus marshallae, Calanus pacificus and Metridia pacifica in Dabob Bay, Washington were followed through two years. Based on the speciesʹ life histories, vertical distributions, abundances inside and outside the bay, and the hydrographic setting, times when advection was important were explored. During the first study-year, 1973, advection acted to keep the copepod concentrations inside and outside Dabob Bay similar through the early summer. During the summer, a period of very little advective exchange, the copepod concentrations diverged at the two stations. In the fall, when advection picked up again, the copepod concentrations at the two stations once again became similar. During the summer of the other study-year, 1982, flow of deep water into Dabob Bay occurred. This may have caused some of the differences observed in the abundances of the copepods during the summer of 1982 vs 1973. Due in part to the advective events, the seasonal abundance patterns of the copepods could not be predicted based upon their locally expressed life history patterns. The most striking example of this was C. pacificus. Its population decreased during the spring and increased during the fall, despite having its major reproductive peak in the spring. Advective effects clearly contributed to this.