Foundations for Ecological Research West of Tiie Antarctic Peninsula

The horizontal and vertical distributions of selected taxa that dcminate the pelagic zooplankton com· munity (> 0.2 mm) within the Palmer Loog-Tenn Ecological Research (LTFR) ItUdy region are described. In addition to a synthesis of existing published descriptions for euphawiids, saIps, and copepods, two newly available datasets are analyud . Recent observations (1991-1994) obtained as part of the Palmer LTERprognm are wed to provide new infonnation 00 the seasonal and interannual distribution and abundance of the nIp. Salpa thompsoflii. Acoustic data collected during. series c:i twelve cruises cooducted in the late 1980s arc used to describe seasonal differences in the geographic distribution and the dimensional character (length, height, volwne, depth) of krill (Euphausia supuba) aggregations along the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula.