Observations made during submersible dives revealed that high densities of fecal pellets (50–325 particles m−3) accumulated at night in 5–24 m thick layers coincident with the pycnocline (15–30 m) within the Gulf of Maine and the canyons south of Georges Bank. These large, cylindrical (0.2 mm × 3–10 mm long) particles sank rapidly (ca 204 m d−1 ± 24 S.E.) and could transport substantial amounts of organic matter (7–12 mg C m−2 d−1) to the bottom. Vertically migrating euphausiids, Meganyctiphanes norvegica, produced the pellets.
The final published version of this manuscript is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01980149 and may be cited as: Youngbluth, M. J., Bailey, T. G., Davoll, P. J., Jacoby, C. A., Blades-Eckelbarger, P. I., & Griswold, C. A. (1989). Fecal pellet production and diel migratory behavior by the euphausiid Meganyctiphanes norvegica effect benthic-pelagic coupling. Deep Sea Research Part A. Oceanographic Research Papers, 36(10), 1491-1501. doi:10.1016/0198-0149(89)90053-8
Florida Atlantic University. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute contribution #705.