mNCEA policy brief - The many scales of pelagic habitats

Abstract

This fact sheet is intended to help explain the extreme variation in both abundance and body size exhibited by marine plankton and why those characteristics make them challenging to understand.

Plankton in pelagic (open ocean) habitats vary greatly in abundance and body size, presenting significant challenges for assessing the state of pelagic habitats.

There are also vast differences in the spatial and temporal scale of events and pressures impacting pelagic habitats, adding complexity and making pelagic habitats challenging to understand.

This project was funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) as part of the marine arm of the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme. The marine NCEA programme is leading the way in supporting Government ambition to integrate natural capital approaches into decision making for the marine environment. Find out more at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-capital-and-ecosystem-assessment-programme