Studies of the ecology of the Benguela Current Upwelling System: The TRAFFIC approach

Under the umbrella of SPACES (Science Partnerships for the Adaptation to Complex Earth System Processes in Southern Africa), several marine projects have been conducted to study the coastal upwelling area off southwestern Africa, the Benguela Upwelling System (BUS). The BUS is economically important for the bordering countries due to its large fish stocks. We present results from the projects GENUS and TRAFFIC, which focused on the biogeochemistry and biology of this marine area. The physical drivers, the nutrient distributions, and the different ecosystem components were studied on numerous expeditions using different methods. The important aspects of the ecosystem, such as key species and food web complexity were studied for a later evaluation of trophic transfer efficiency and to forecast possible changes in this highly productive marine area. This chapter provides a literature review and analyses of own data of the main biological trophic components in the Benguela Upwelling System gathered during two cruises in February/March 2019 and October 2021.