Size normalizing planktonic Foraminifera abundance in the water column

Abstract

Planktonic Foraminifera have been collected from the water column with different plankton sampling devices equipped with nets of various mesh sizes, which impedes direct comparison of observed quantifications. Here, we use data on the community size structure of planktonic Foraminifera to assess the impact of mesh size on the measured abundance (ind m⁻³) of planktonic Foraminifera. We use data from the FORCIS database (Chaabane et al., 2023, Scientific Data 10: 354) on the global ocean at different sampling depths over the past century. We find a global cumulative increase in abundance with size, which is best described using a Michaelis–Menten function. This function yields multiplication factors by which one size fraction can be normalized to any other size fraction equal to or larger than 100 μm. The resulting size normalization model is calibrated over a range of different depth intervals, and validated with an independent dataset from various depth ranges. The comparison to Berger's (1969, Deep. Res. Oceanogr. Abstr. 16: 1–24) equivalent catch approach shows a significant increase in the predictive skill of the model. The new size normalization scheme enables comparison of Foraminifera abundance data sampled with plankton nets of different mesh sizes, such as compiled in the FORCIS database. The correction methodology may be effectively employed for various other plankton groups such as diatoms and dinoflagellates.