Progress in Oceanography最新文献

{"title":"Warming overtakes stratification in driving abundance of copepods with contrasting life histories (Calanus finmarchicus and Centropages typicus) in the Gulf of Maine from 1977 to 2017","authors":"Catherine Nowakowski ,&nbsp;Karen Stamieszkin ,&nbsp;Nicholas R. Record ,&nbsp;Gavino Puggioni ,&nbsp;Harvey J. Walsh ,&nbsp;Kelton W. McMahon","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103538","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103538","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Copepods are key conduits of energy in ocean food webs, transferring bottom-up biogeochemical cycling and productivity dynamics to upper trophic levels. The Gulf of Maine is a model system for studying relationships among copepod population dynamics, oceanographic conditions, and climate. Past studies have identified large temporal oscillations in copepod species abundance and community composition, aligned with organism size and associated with oscillations in the North Atlantic Oscillation. However, interpreting correlations between climate indices and plankton communities can be complex, as climate indices are the synthesis of multiple large-scale oceanographic phenomena. Our study tested hypotheses about interdecadal trends in, and environmental drivers of, Gulf of Maine copepod abundance, focusing on two species with different life histories and body size. Using a combination of Generalized Additive Models and Markov Switching Models, we identified four key transition periods in both <em>Calanus finmarchicus</em> and <em>Centropages typicus</em> abundance over the past 40 yrs<em>,</em> defined by the years 1986, 1997/2000 (<em>C. finmarchicus</em>/<em>C. typicus</em>), and 2006. The mixed layer depth had the most persistent relationship with copepod abundance from 1977 to the late 1990s in both species, and we hypothesize that hydrographic-nutrient-phytoplankton dynamics were the primary drivers of the changes in interannual copepod abundance. Temperature-related variables, including Gulf of Maine surface temperature and the Warm Slope Water fraction of bottom water, became the primary environmental correlates with abundance after 2006, particularly for <em>C. finmarchicus</em>. This shift indicated a departure from previous multi-decadal environmental drivers of interannual copepod community patterns in the Gulf of Maine. This change was unprecedented in the historical record (1977–2017), and models based on prior time frames (1977–2006) would have been unable to forecast this event. These data highlight the disruptive nature of rapid warming on long-established plankton community dynamics and emphasize the need to account for these nonstationary relationships when developing management tools and strategies in the Gulf of Maine, as well as other regions where rapid warming is expected.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103538"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144665078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Decoding the evolutionary history and systematic complexity of Pseudotanaidae (Crustacea: Tanaidacea)","authors":"Aleksandra Jakiel ,&nbsp;Marek Lubośny ,&nbsp;Magdalena Błażewicz ,&nbsp;Artur Burzyński","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103534","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103534","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The family Pseudotanaidae (Tanaidacea) comprises ecologically significant deep-sea crustacean taxa, yet its phylogenetic relationships remain poorly resolved due to limited molecular data. This study integrates targeted sequencing (COI, 18S) and mitogenomic analyses to reconstruct the evolutionary history of Pseudotanaidae. Phylogenetic trees inferred using Maximum Likelihood (ML) confirm the monophyly of the family while revealing polyphyly within the genus <em>Pseudotanais.</em> Genetic divergence among sampled individuals corresponds closely with morphological groupings, indicating the presence of distinct evolutionary lineages. Our study significantly expands the molecular dataset for Pseudotanaidae, increasing the number of COI and 18S sequences in public databases more than twentyfold. Furthermore, we present the first mitogenomes of deep-sea tanaids, revealing unique mitochondrial features. Notably they all feature an unexpected reassignment of the TAA stop codon to tyrosine, in the otherwise typical invertebrate mitochondrial translation table. These findings establish a robust framework for future taxonomic and evolutionary studies, emphasizing the need for expanded genomic sampling to resolve remaining uncertainties in Pseudotanaidae phylogeny.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"238 ","pages":"Article 103534"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144913046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Variability of the transition zone chlorophyll front and its relationship to large-scale climate phenomena","authors":"Hui Shi ,&nbsp;Ryan R. Rykaczewski ,&nbsp;Johanna L.K. Wren ,&nbsp;Phoebe Woodworth-Jefcoats ,&nbsp;Justin J. Suca ,&nbsp;Réka Domokos ,&nbsp;Joseph M. O’Malley ,&nbsp;Donald Kobayashi","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103537","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103537","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front (TZCF) is considered a foraging corridor for many commercially important predator species in the North Pacific, including tunas and swordfish, as well as for protected turtles. Here we use nearly three decades of satellite remotely sensed ocean color data to characterize the trends and variability of the TZCF properties, including its location, west/east slope, and the degree of its meandering, and investigate the relationships of these properties with large-scale climate phenomena in the tropics and in the North Pacific. We found that the interannual variability of TZCF properties is associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) to various degrees. Variability in the latitude of the front during winter is associated with the PDO and ENSO and is related to anomalies in zonal wind strength that are typical of these climate patterns. Consistent relationships are also found between the climate modes and TZCF slope, and the degree of meandering is best correlated to the NPGO. There has been a significant northward movement of 8.25 km/year of the TZCF, as defined by the 0.2 mg/m³ chlorophyll contour, over the past 26 years. The long-term trend in TZCF location corresponds to a weakening in westerly winds near the front and weakened gyre circulation as manifested by more frequent negative NPGO since 2011. The study extends our previous understanding of the TZCF variability and its linkage to the large-scale climate modes, providing a more robust basis to explore climate impacts on the fisheries linked to TZCF variability in the Northeast Pacific.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103537"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diversity and potential parentage of molluscan (and likely-molluscan) eggs from the Aleutian Trench","authors":"Chong Chen ,&nbsp;Julia D. Sigwart","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103535","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103535","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many deep-sea molluscs are in taxonomic groups known to deposit demersal egg capsules, but limited information is available on the morphology of molluscan egg capsules from abyssal and hadal depths. During the 2022 “AleutBio” expedition (R/V <em>SONNE</em>, SO293) to the Aleutian Trench, we collected egg capsules from depths ranging between 4,220 and 7,142 m. Morphological analysis revealed eight distinct egg types, ranging from translucent capsules to large, grape-like yolky eggs, and those containing no discernible development to visible embryos. Six of these could be tentatively attributed to known taxa based on co-occurrence and morphology: caenogastropod egg capsules with protoconchs morphologically matching the buccinid <em>Bayerius knudseni</em> (<span><span>Bouchet &amp; Warén, 1986</span></span>), different capsules likely belonging to Cancellariidae and Eulimidae, stalked yolky eggs postulated as being from the rare trench volutid <em>Tenebrincola frigida</em> <span><span>Harasewych &amp; Kantor, 1991</span></span>, and droplet-shaped egg causules consistent with cirrate octopuses of which the emperor’s dumbo octopus (<em>Grimpoteuthis imperator</em> <span><span>Ziegler &amp; Sagorny, 2021</span></span>) is the only species known with certainty from the region. Two other egg types — a small ovate egg with metallic sheen and a cluster of seven grape-like capsules — remain taxonomically unresolved and may or may not be molluscan. Our findings represent the first records of molluscan egg capsules from abyssal to hadal parts of the Aleutian Trench and add to the limited knowledge of deep-sea mollusc spawns.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103535"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"High-frequency nonlinear internal waves in the Kuroshio observed by acoustic observations","authors":"Tomoharu Senjyu ,&nbsp;Takahiro Endoh ,&nbsp;Eisuke Tsutsumi ,&nbsp;Takeshi Matsuno ,&nbsp;Hirohiko Nakamura ,&nbsp;Ayako Nishina","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103536","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103536","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-frequency current fluctuations in the Kuroshio current were observed using a long-range Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) moored in the Tokara Strait. The fluctuations were separated as deviations from the 60-min running averaged currents. The duration of individual fluctuation was 3–5 min and the active fluctuation events occurred diurnally during the period of strong Kuroshio current, suggesting both influences from the Kuroshio and tidal currents. The statistical analyses revealed that the current fluctuations were confined in the mid-depths (158–262 m) and the westward component was dominant in the eastward-flowing Kuroshio currents. Close examination of a fluctuation event revealed that strong westward and downward currents occurred in a rank-ordered wave train consisted of 3–4 waves with a period ∼ 3 min. As this wave period was shorter than the ambient buoyancy period (8–13 min), the observed wave train was considered to be a packet of solitary waves (nonlinear internal waves; NLIWs). The observed current structure with a maximum amplitude at the mid-depths were similar to that of the second mode (mode-2) internal waves based on the observed stratification. In addition, the wave propagation direction estimated from the signal time lags between the ADCP transducers agreed well with the maximum current direction at mid-depths in the event. This strongly suggests that the observed current fluctuations were convex type mode-2 NLIWs. Although the NLIW generation was unclear, a role of small seamounts east of the mooring site was suggested.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103536"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization and mapping of bathyal benthic communities of Cabo Verde (NW Africa)","authors":"Beatriz Vinha ,&nbsp;Veerle A.I. Huvenne ,&nbsp;Andrea Gori ,&nbsp;Stefano Piraino ,&nbsp;Covadonga Orejas","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103532","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103532","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Benthic communities, such as those dominated by cold-water corals (CWC) and sponges, contribute to the habitat complexity and diversity of deep-sea ecosystems, with characteristic taxa serving as indicators of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs). Many areas on the West African margin remain under-surveyed for the presence of deep-sea benthic communities and, hence, VMEs, limiting the implementation of marine spatial plans. In this study, the benthic communities of SW Cabo Verde (NW Africa), in particular Cadamosto Seamount (SW Brava Island) and the slopes of the islands of Fogo and Brava, were characterized and mapped, providing an assessment of the potential differences in benthic community composition between the two systems (seamount <em>vs</em> island slopes). We employed machine learning approaches (multivariate regression trees and a Random Forest classification) using data on morphospecies composition and densities retrieved from Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) video data collected from 2,100 to 1,450 m depth, as well as environmental data on substrate type, terrain, and water column parameters. Ten different benthic communities were identified in the study area, with cnidarians, porifera, and echinoderms as the dominant taxa. Higher densities of CWCs and communities with higher species richness were observed on the seamount compared to the adjacent island slopes. Depth, substrate type, pH and dissolved oxygen were identified as the key environmental variables driving habitat heterogeneity. Additionally, communities composed of characteristic taxa with VME attributes were observed, including (i) sponge aggregations, (ii) scleractinian, (iii) octocoral and black CWC gardens, and (iv) sea pen fields. Despite the apparent low impact of fishing activities in the study area, lost fishing gear was noted in areas where CWCs were observed in higher densities. This study provides important information for the implementation of area-based conservation measures in Cabo Verde, following the application of the precautionary principle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103532"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"OCLE: An updated of the European high-resolution database for assessing marine ecological systems under present conditions and climate change scenarios","authors":"Camino F. de la Hoz,&nbsp;Elvira Ramos,&nbsp;Adrián Acevedo,&nbsp;Melisa Menéndez,&nbsp;Alejandra G. Cabanillas,&nbsp;Araceli Puente,&nbsp;José A. Juanes","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the impacts of climate change on coastal marine species requires high- resolution environmental datasets that integrate physical, chemical, and biological variables. However, existing databases often lack key environmental parameters necessary for accurately assessing species distribution. The OCLE database (<span><span>https://ocle.ihcantabria.com/</span><svg><path></path></svg></span>), originally introduced in 2018, has now been significantly updated and expanded to address these limitations and meet current research needs in European littoral ecosystems. This new version of OCLE includes a wide range of 16 environmental variables: wave height, wind speed, currents, bottom current speed, sea level, tidal range, bottom shear stress, sea and air temperature and salinity, alongside physicochemical parameters like light, nutrients, pH, turbidity, and extreme event metrics such as marine heatwaves and cold spells. These data are provided at fine-scale spatial resolution (0.05°, approximately 5 km from the coastline up to 20 km offshore; and 0.1°, approximately 10 km beyond this distance to 70 Km) and temporal resolution (yearly from 2000 to 2023), ensuring an accurate representation of local and regional oceanographic processes. In addition, the database incorporates biological records of 22 macroalgae taxa, enhancing its applicability in species distribution models. To support climate impact assessments, OCLE integrates projections from the latest IPCC AR6 scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5) for the horizon years 2050 and 2100, allowing researchers to explore potential future shifts in marine ecosystems. By offering freely accessible, spatially homogeneous, and high-resolution environmental data, OCLE represents a major advancement for ecological research, conservation planning, and climate change adaptation strategies. Its integration into ecological forecasting tools provides a valuable resource for assessing the effects of changing environmental conditions on European coastal biodiversity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103533"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deep-sea echinoderms (except holothurians) collected during the AleutBio expedition around the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Trench","authors":"Camille Moreau ,&nbsp;Angelina Eichsteller ,&nbsp;Quentin Jossart ,&nbsp;Thomas Saucède ,&nbsp;Erwan Courville ,&nbsp;Timothy D. O’Hara ,&nbsp;Pablo Martinez-Soares ,&nbsp;Angelika Brandt ,&nbsp;Luka Vantomme ,&nbsp;Alexandr Mironov ,&nbsp;Anna Dilman","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deep-sea ecosystems harbour a high amount of unknown species and echinoderms belong to the most abundant megafaunal taxa encountered in these habitats. In this work we present the echinoderms belonging to the classes Asteroidea, Echinoidea, Ophiuroidea and Crinoidea collected from the Bering Sea and the Aleutian Trench (3498–7254 m) during the AleutBio expedition (SO293) onboard the German vessel RV <em>Sonne</em>. The AleutBio expedition represents a significant addition to the general knowledge on deep-sea echinoderms (holothurians excepted) from the North East Pacific Ocean with 6115 specimens collected, belonging to 39 species within 31 genera, confirmed as distinct genetic entities using a barcoding approach. Several new putative species are discussed together with preliminary biogeographic patterns suggesting a wide distribution for many of the deep-sea echinoderms species. The role of the Aleutian Trench as a biogeographic barrier is unlikely for echinoderms and estimations of its richness are higher than previously thought.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103530"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613359","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Testing hypotheses to explain a surprisingly large year-class of walleye pollock in an ice-free subarctic southeastern Bering Sea; a review of available data","authors":"George L. Hunt Jr. ,&nbsp;David G. Kimmel ,&nbsp;Lisa B. Eisner ,&nbsp;Kerim Aydin ,&nbsp;Nicholas Bond ,&nbsp;Alexander G. Andrews III ,&nbsp;Michael F. Sigler ,&nbsp;Elizabeth C. Siddon ,&nbsp;James Ianelli ,&nbsp;Patrick Ressler","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103531","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103531","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Several hypotheses link year-class-strength of eastern Bering Sea walleye pollock (<em>Gadus chalcogramus</em>) to climate variability. These focus on positive relationships with sea ice as a substrate for ice algae, as a water column stabilizer, and as a determinant of a cold pool. In 2018, sea ice was absent over the outer and middle Bering Sea shelf south of 60°N and therefore the 2018 year-class of pollock was expected to be small. However, the 2018 year-class of pollock is estimated to be the most abundant on record. We evaluated three, non-mutually exclusive hypotheses to account for the unexpected strength of the 2018 pollock year-class, 1) reduced predation on age-0 pollock, 2) reduced competition for zooplankton prey, and 3) cross-shelf transport of zooplankton in spring. We found that the northward movement of age-1 and older pollock out of the southeastern Bering Sea reduced the potential for predation on age-0 pollock over the southern shelf, as well as the potential for competition for zooplankton prey there. In contrast, the cross-shelf advection of zooplankton in spring did not appear to have influenced prey availability for age-0 pollock in late summer and fall. Thus, the northward movement of a large fraction of both age-1 as well as older pollock, not seen in the past, was at least a major contributor to the unique occurrence of an exceptionally strong year class in a warm year, 2018. As the Bering Sea warms, and if age-1+ pollock migrate northward after spawning in the southeastern Bering Sea as in 2018, it is possible that eastern Bering Sea pollock will maintain moderate to strong year-classes despite the loss of sea ice.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103531"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144566212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Observation error appears to explain the perception of earlier maturation in Atlantic cod following the industrialised fishing","authors":"Olav Sigurd Kjesbu ,&nbsp;Ine Elise Moksness ,&nbsp;Shuyang Ma ,&nbsp;Jennifer A. Devine ,&nbsp;Maud Alix ,&nbsp;Johanna Fall ,&nbsp;Côme Denechaud ,&nbsp;Thassya C. dos Santos Schmidt ,&nbsp;Anders Thorsen ,&nbsp;Geir Huse ,&nbsp;Daniel Howell ,&nbsp;Knut Korsbrekke","doi":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.pocean.2025.103528","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maturity data are required to estimate spawning stock biomass (SSB) which is the most common basis for setting quota. Such data are also important when studying stock responses to, for instance, biophysical variability and fisheries-induced evolution. The official maturity time series of the most data-rich Atlantic cod (<em>Gadus morhua</em>) stocks (≥40-50 years) display windows of sudden reductions in age-at-50 %-maturity (<em>A₅₀</em>). Here, we addressed whether these shifts in Northeast Arctic (NEAC) and North Sea (NSC) cod time series are artefacts caused by revisions to sampling. In the complementary ecophysiological approach, the analysis was extended to other cod stocks, including Northern cod (NC). The quality-assessment of the open-access NEAC and NSC databases clarified that the abrupt shifts in <em>A₅₀</em> coincide with altered sampling rather than being rooted in biology. The exceptionally long NEAC commercial catch series did not show evidence of selective removal as a causal mechanism. A high stock age diversity in synergy with age-specific spawning time and inadequate sampling coverage heighten the risk for biased high <em>A₅₀</em>. We found no significant change in the 75-year NEAC <em>A₅₀</em> series (<em>p</em>-value = 0.576), but so in the 44-year NSC <em>A₅₀</em> series (<em>p</em>-value = 0.041). Histology strengthened that NEAC <em>A₅₀</em> is less variable than frequently stated. The revised NEAC <em>A₅₀</em> led to significantly higher historic SSB, with consequences for recruitment dynamics patterns and fisheries (biological) reference points. Essentially, the various cod stocks fitted into the same maturation plasticity scheme suggested that the decision to sexually mature is steered by temperature-dependent body growth rate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20620,"journal":{"name":"Progress in Oceanography","volume":"237 ","pages":"Article 103528"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-06-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144503688","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}