Short note: Time series of Drake Passage Oscillation Index (DPOI) during 1952-2008 and its possible influence on environmental variability

An assessment of the environmental processes influencing variability in the recruitment and density of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba DANA) is important as variability in krill stocks affects the Antarctic marine ecosystem as a whole. Naganobu et al. (1999) had assessed variability in krill recruitment and density in the Antarctic Peninsula area with an environmental factor; strength of westerly winds (westerlies) determined from sea-level pressure differences across the Drake Passage, between Rio Gallegos, Argentina, and Base Esperanza, at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula during 1982-1998. Fluctuations in the westerlies across the Drake Passage were referred to as the Drake Passage Oscillation Index (DPOI). They found significant correlations between krill recruitment and DPOI. Additionally, we calculated a new time series of DPOI from January 1952 to March 2008. In addition, we tried to draw a comparison between DPOI and oceanographic condition using CTD data in the Antarctic Peninsula waters during 1990-2007. As a result, DPOI had a significant correlation with mean temperature from the surface to 200 m (MTEM-200). DPOI suggests influence on the variability of oceanic condition and thus for Antarctic krill ecosystem.