1. In contrast to Antarctic krill Euphausia superba, Antarctic salps (Salpa thompsoni) respond positively to warmer water temperatures and have the ability to create massive blooms under favourable conditions. Therefore, they can compete with krill for primary production. Over the last three decades, significant variability in S. thompsoni occurrence has been observed as a response to the environmental fluctuations of the Southern Ocean ecosystem (e.g. changes in sea surface temperature and ice-cover shrinkage around the cold Antarctic waters).
2. This study presents historical abundance data of salps from the south-west Atlantic Sector of the Southern Ocean, covering a time span of 26 years. These data allow tracking of fluctuations in Antarctic salp abundance and their distribution with bottom depth, temperature, and ice conditions, aiming to reveal salp hot spots and to predict the future range of S. thompsoni distribution with upcoming climate warming in the next 50 years.
3. Results showed the highest salp density in shallow shelf waters with ice cover and low temperatures between 1 and −1°C. In the studied area, S. thompsoni hot spots were located mostly around Elephant Island, but also the islands around Brensfield and Gerlache Straits, as well as to the south near the Bellingshausen Sea. Inferences made of future salp distribution suggest that the range of S. thompsoni will move southwards, enlarging their habitat area by nearly 500,000 km², which may have significant implications on the whole Antarctic food web. The information presented herein may be used for Antarctic ecosystem management, protection, and conservation.

中文翻译：

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南大洋 Salpa thompsoni 热点的历史丰度和分布以及进一步海洋变暖的预测

1. 与南极磷虾Euphausia superba相比，南极磷虾( Salpa thompsoni ) 对温暖的水温有积极的反应，并且能够在有利的条件下大量繁殖。因此，它们可以与磷虾竞争初级生产。在过去的三十年里，人们观察到S. thompsoni发生的显着变化是对南大洋生态系统环境波动的反应（例如海面温度的变化和寒冷的南极水域周围的冰盖收缩）。
2. 本研究提供了来自南大洋西南大西洋部分的盐类历史丰度数据，涵盖了 26 年的时间跨度。这些数据允许跟踪南极salp丰度的波动及其随底部深度、温度和冰条件的分布，旨在揭示salp热点并预测未来50年即将到来的气候变暖的S. thompsoni分布范围。
3. 结果表明，在冰盖和 1°C 到 -1°C 之间的低温下，浅层陆架水域的盐酸盐密度最高。在研究区域，S. thompsoni热点主要位于象岛周围，但也有布伦斯菲尔德和杰拉什海峡周围的岛屿，以及南部靠近贝灵斯豪森海的岛屿。对未来salp分布的推论表明，S. thompsoni的范围将向南移动，将其栖息地面积扩大近500,000 km ²，这可能对整个南极食物网产生重大影响。此处提供的信息可用于南极生态系统管理、保护和养护。