Vertical Migration of Sound Scatterers in the Southern Yellow Sea in Summer

Acoustic volume backscattering strength data were collected and Conductivity Temperature Depth (CTD) measur e m e n t s were conducted in the southern Yellow Sea in summer 2005 and 2006. The high temporal and vertical resolution acoustic data measured with a 307 kHz Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) and a 250 kHz acoustic Doppler profile (ADP) had dominant diel variation, which resulted from vertical migration of sound scatterers. Some scatterers congregating in the bottom layer in the daytime migrated upward at dusk, and migrated downward into the bottom layer at dawn. The migration speeds were estimated. More than 33 days data show that the diel migration varies with time. The feature of migration measured with ADCP and ADP is consistent to some extent with what is described in the study on vertical migration of zooplankton in the southern Yellow Sea with conventional net samples.