IMIS

The sensitivity of plankton to changes in the environment makes them useful early warning indicators of the health of ocean systems. CPRs have been towed behind ships for 75 years in the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean to monitor the condition of those systems. These have been important in identifying major changes in the marine ecosystem which have ecological and economic impacts. The CPR is now being used in Antarctic waters, since 1991, to map biodiversity of plankton in the region as well as monitor its health through studies of regional, seasonal, interannual and longterm variability in plankton patterns. Changes in plankton abundances and patterns are expected to have a significant effect on the rest of the ecosystem.