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Decadal changes in macrofauna communities on the Dogger Bank caused by large-scale climate variability

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Abstract

In order to investigate, whether the rise in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index and the connected change in the hydroclimatic regime of the North Sea since 1988 caused changes in offshore macrobenthic communities, 28 stations on the Dogger Bank (Central North Sea) were revisited in May 1996–98, which were previously sampled in May 1985–87. Compared to the 80s, abundances of southern and interface-feeding species increased in the 90s on top and in the southern parts of the bank, whereas abundances of northern species decreased. Along the northern slope of the Dogger Bank abundances and total number of species, which prefer coarser sediment, increased in the 90s as well as diversity of feeding types and total number of northern species, whereas abundances of species preferring fine sand and interface-feeding species decreased. The results are discussed in relation to changes in temperature, primary production and the current regime of the central as well as the entire North Sea, which in turn are connected to the NAO.

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  1. Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, Abteilung für Meeresforschung, Schleusenstraße 39a, D-26382, Wilhelmshaven, Germany

    Gunther Wieking & Ingrid Kröncke

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  1. Gunther Wieking
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Wieking, G., Kröncke, I. Decadal changes in macrofauna communities on the Dogger Bank caused by large-scale climate variability. Senckenbergiana maritima 31, 125–141 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03043023

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