Influence of ocean dynamics on the route of argonauts in the Southeastern Brazil Bight

• Published in: Progress in oceanography Vol. 209; p. 102906
• Main Authors: Araújo, Carolina C., Gasalla, Maria A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2022
• Subjects: Argonautidae; Cephalopods; Coastal jets; Eddies; Meanders; Mesoscale features; Paralarvae; South Brazil Shelf; Meanders; Paralarvae; Coastal jets; Argonautidae; South Brazil Shelf; Mesoscale features; Eddies; Cephalopods
• ISSN: 0079-6611; 1873-4472
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pocean.2022.102906

•Argonaut routes in the global ocean are poorly known.•Argonauts are dominant in plankton samples among all larval Cephalopods in the Southeastern Brazil Bight.•Argonaut paralarvae abundance showed seasonality and high interannual variability.•Meanders and eddies of the Brazil Current are responsible for cross-shelf transport of paralarvae.•Coastal jets originated from upwelling contribute to alongshore transport of argonauts paralarvae. Argonauts (Cephalopoda: Argonautidae), also known as ‘paper nautilus’, are epipelagic octopuses that are believed inhabit the open ocean despite being rarely encountered alive. Previous studies on the early-life stages of cephalopods have reported unexpectedly high abundances of argonauts in continental shelf areas of the Southeastern Brazilian Bight (SBB). Based on this finding, we explored the potential ocean dynamics driving both seasonal and interannual argonaut paralarvae occurrence in the SBB shelf. A historical archive ofplankton samples (n = 884) collected during 22 survey cruises between 1974 and 2010 covering the northern portion of the SBB was used. Spatiotemporal analysis combining environmental variables and horizontal and vertical abundance maps indicated that high frequency of argonaut paralarvae mostly occurred during summer with a high interannual variability. Horizontal and vertical maps revealed that they were mainly transported from the open ocean into the shelf by the onshore intrusion of water masses promoted by meanders and eddies of the offshore Brazil Current. Furthermore, argonaut occurrence in the southern shelf areas was remarkably influenced by the coastal jet originating from upwelling in the northern SBB. These results suggest that argonauts may be used as indicators of mesoscale processes. The present study provides a novel hypothesis for the route of argonauts from the pelagic realm to the continental shelf.