International Journal of Marine Science, 2017, Vol.7, No.8, 67-75
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zooplankton was 7662 ind./m
3
. The prevailing group was Copepoda (3722 ind./m
3
) (45.9%) and the second
prevailing group was shrimps larvae (Megaloba) (2522 ind./m
3
) (32.9%) then Bivalve (525 ind./m
3
) (6.8%) of the
total zooplankton (Table 2).
2.3 Biomass of the zooplankton
The biomass of zooplankton, in terms of wet weight varied from 30.256 mg/m³at St. 6 (Buoy 29) during March
2010 to 1792.6 mg/m³at St. 2 (Ras Al-Bisha) during July 2009 and the average was 387.762 mg/m³(Figure 6).
Whereas in terms of dry weight ranged between 1.120 mg/m³at St. 5 (Buoy 13) to 84.216 mg/m³at St. 2 and the
average was 18.738 mg/m³(Figure 7). While the biomass of zooplankton in terms of displacement volume and
standing crop ranged from 0. 065 ml/m³and 4.233 mg C/m³ to 2.005 ml/m³and 130.335 mg C/m³ in July 2009 at
St. 6 and St. 2 respectively and the average 0.508 ml/m³and 33.015 mg C/m³ respectively (Figure 8 and Figure 9).
Figure 6 Biomass in terms of wet weight (mg/m
3
) in the North West Arabian Gulf during July 2009 and March 2010
Figure 7 Biomass in terms of dry weight (mg/m
3
) in the North West Arabian Gulf during July 2009 and March 2010
The average value of zooplankton biomass at Shatt Al-Arab estuary (St. 1, 2 and 3) 726.665 and 33.305 mg/m³ in
terms of wet weight and dry weight respectively, and 0.905 ml/m³and 58.825 mg C/m³ in terms of displacement
volume and standing crop respectively. Whereas at Khour Abdulla (St. 4, 5 and 6) 131.018 and 8.435 mg/m³in
terms of wet weight and dry weight respectively and 0.219 ml/m³and 14.235 mg C/m³ in term of displacement
volume and standing crop respectively, while in Umm Qaser Port 141.285 and 5.915 mg/m³in terms of wet
weight and dry weight respectively and 0.183 ml/m³and 11.927 mg C/m³in terms of displacement volume and
standing crop respectively (Figure 10 and Figure 11).
