Spatial and Seasonal Variations in Biomass and Size Structure of Zooplankton in Coastal Waters of the Gulf of Aqaba

Zooplankton biomass were measured monthly from eleven coastal sampling station and one offshore station from the northern par of the Gulf of Aqaba between January and December 2004. Significant difference in zooplankton biomass was obtained among different stations and different sampling months. The highest biomass was recorded in January (50.75 mg. dry wt.m^(-3), the lowest in October (5.54 mg. dry wt.m^(-3). A notable high biomass of 46.1 mg. dry wt.m^(-3) was registered at Tala Bay pool, while lowest biomass was recorded at both Al-Sodasiat and offshore stations. At the study area, the results showed significant differences among different size fractions of zooplankton. The relative annual average of size fraction 500 μm constituted about 68 % of the total biomass, while the size fractions 200-500 μm and 100-200 μm constituted 26% and 6%, respectively.