Airam Nauzet Sarmiento-Lezcano

@post doctoral researcher

Oceanographic Center of A Coruña, Spanish Institute of Oceanography A Coruña-The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Oceanographic Center of A Coruña, Spanish Institute of Oceanography A Coruña

Airam Nauzet Sarmiento-Lezcano


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https://researchid.co/airamsarmiento

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Oceanography, Ecology, Computers in Earth Sciences
23

Scopus Publications

Scopus Publications

  • Vertical distribution of chaetognaths and their role as biological indicators of water masses in the Cape Verde frontal zone (NW Africa)
    Antonio Sánchez-Díez, Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, Jonah Díaz-Cruz, Santiago Hernández-León, José M. Landeira
    Journal of Marine Systems, 2026
    The Cape Verde Frontal Zone (CVFZ) is an area located in the southern boundary of the Canary Current. The interaction between the Cape Verde Front and the Mauritanian coastal upwelling promotes an area of highly dynamic water mass circulation, enhancing primary production and zooplankton biomass and abundance. Chaetognaths are a main component of zooplankton in oceanic areas, and they are poorly studied besides their important role as predators and their distribution matching specific water masses. Our aim was to study the effect of water mass dynamics on the distribution and abundance of the chaetognath community in an area of important water mass interaction, and to test their role as ocean bio-indicators. We studied the species composition, vertical distribution, size structure, and gonadal development of chaetognaths at six stations located at the CVFZ. Vertical stratified sampling covering epi- and mesopelagic depths were analyzed to assess the match of chaetognaths with different water masses. We found a total of 18 species of chaetognaths. The most frequent species was Flaccisagitta enflata (41.37 %), followed by Serratosagitta serratodentata (18.15 %), and Pterosagitta draco (14.92 %). The distribution patterns of six chaetognath species in the CVFZ were closely associated with oceanographic events and water masses, being Eukrohnia hamata a bio-indicator of Mauritanian upwelling. Flaccisagita enflata was associated with the mixed layer, Decipisagitta decipiens with the South Atlantic Central Water of 18 °C and Decipisagitta sibogae with the Northeast Atlantic Central Water of 15 °C , while Eukrohnia fowleri and Caecosagitta macrocephala were associated with the SubPolar Mode Water. These findings highlight the biodiversity of chaetognath community in the CVFZ and their importance to study their relationship with oceanic habitats in a scenario of climate change. • We studied the effect of water mass dynamics on the distribution and abundance of the chaetognath community. • We performed vertical stratified sampling covering the epi- and mesopelagic depths. • The chaetognath distribution in the Cape Verde Frontal Zone was related to water mass dynamics and oceanographic events. • A chaetognath species was bio-indicator of the Mauritanian Upwelling.
  • Active carbon flux by Pyrosoma atlanticum in the Northwest African upwelling transition zone (North-Central Eastern Atlantic Ocean)
    Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, María Couret, Javier Díaz-Pérez, Ainhoa Bernal, Vanesa Raya, Martín Pla, Nicolás Larrumbide-Zúñiga, Arturo Castellón, Santiago Hernández-León
    Progress in Oceanography, 2026
    • Marked differences in Pyrosoma atlanticum biomass and diel vertical migration patterns were detected across contrasting environmental regimes in the Northwest African upwelling transition zone. • Two contrasting areas were identified: a productive coastal region dominated by large colonies, and an oligotrophic region with smaller but high-biomass populations. • Migrant biomass of small colonies reached up to 493 mgC·m −2 in oligotrophic waters, while active carbon flux ranged from 1.93 to 12.36 mgC·m −2 ·d −1 depending on size and region. • Active flux estimates from both methods were consistent, demonstrating the robustness of complementary approaches for assessing gelatinous zooplankton contributions to the biological carbon pump. Pyrosomes are colonial tunicates that inhabit diverse environments and perform diel vertical migrations, contributing to the downward carbon flux primarily through large fecal pellet production and carcass depositions. Pyrosoma atlanticum is the most widespread pelagic colonial tunicate worldwide, yet its role in the carbon cycle remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the abundance, biomass, and contribution of P. atlanticum colonies to the biological carbon pump using MOCNESS and Mesopelagos nets in the subtropical waters off the Northwest African upwelling transition zone. We found two different areas within the studied zone: a highly productive area off the African coast and an oligotrophic area. We only found P. atlanticum near and in the productive area. Organisms sampled with the MOCNESS showed a narrower size distribution (colony length of 23.1 ± 12.4 mm) associated with the lower productivity area. By contrast, the Mesopelagos captured a wider size community (colony length of 106.5 ± 74.5 mm). Off the African coast, migrant biomass of small-sized organisms exhibited values almost 2-fold higher compared to the large-sized organisms (121 vs 77.1 mgC·m −2 ). In oligotrophic waters, where only small-sized organisms were captured, their migrant biomass reached values four times higher (493 mgC·m −2 ). Two approaches were used to estimate large-sized pyrosomes active flux: (1) the enzymatic activity of the electron transfer system (ETS) and (2) a specific respiration equation (RC) for P. atlanticum . In the productive area, both methods yielded similar values for large-sized organisms (ETS: 2.02 mgC·m −2 ·d –1 and RC: 1.93 mgC·m −2 ·d –1 ). Small-sized organisms were quite abundant in the oligotrophic station showing a RC of 3.03 mgC·m −2 ·d –1 . Active flux by P. atlanticum ranged between 1.93 near the upwelling zone and 12.36 mgC·m −2 ·d –1 in oligotrophic waters due to their quite high biomass there. Our finding highlights the functional role of this large zooplanktonic and micronektonic fauna in the biological carbon export according to the productivity of the area.
  • Surface swarms of the lanternfish Myctophum punctatum associated to dolphin presence
    M.P. Olivar, C. López-Pérez, A. Sabatés, A.N. Sarmiento-Lezcano
    Journal of Sea Research, 2025
    The neustonic layer of the ocean are visited at night time by a large number of organisms for feeding or breeding. This study reports large aggregations of the myctophid Myctophum punctatum at night in the strictly sea surface layer of the water column and the co-occurrence of dolphins swimming and probably feeding on these fish. The study was based on fish captures obtained from neuston hauls and dolphins observations in the Alboran Sea (western Mediterranean), and in oceanic waters off Lisboa (temperate Atlantic). Data on the abundance, biomass, size frequency distributions and Gonadosomatic Index of M. punctatum were analysed, and the relevance of these high aggregations both for the biology of the species and as a source of prey for the co-occurring dolphins is discussed.
  • Locality matters: Variation in the reproductive cycle and population structure of subtropical sea urchins
    Raibel Núñez-González, Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, María J. Caballero, Ekin Tilic, José Juan Castro-Hernández
    Plos One, 2025
    The life cycle of many Echinoidea species remains poorly understood despite research conducted in temperate and tropical-subtropical regions. Common species in the Central-Eastern Atlantic’s shallow waters include Paracentrotus lividus , Arbacia lixula , and Sphaerechinus granularis . Nevertheless, significant gaps in understanding their life cycles persist. This study discusses the reproductive cycles of three sea urchin species in rocky coastal ecosystems around Gran Canaria Island (Spain) (27º45´N, 15º45´W) from June 2020 to May 2021. Morphological measurements reveal that test length increases without a corresponding weight gain. The average size at first maturity (L 50 ) was greater in females ( A. lixula 46.26 mm; P. lividus 46.03 mm; S. granularis 49.67 mm SL) than in males ( A. lixula 43.55 mm; P. lividus 42.82 mm; S. granularis 48.57 mm SL). The gonadosomatic index in females exceeded that of males. Histological analysis showed oocytes at various developmental stages, indicating asynchronous ovarian development with successive batch spawning seasons. Reproductive activity was generally observed during the warm season for all three species, likely coinciding with increased nutrient availability in Canarian waters. Notably, P. lividus was the only species to show two reproductive seasons annually in San Cristobal. DNA analysis confirmed species identification and provided new fragments of the COI gene, now available in GenBank for future population analysis. These findings represent the first reproductive data for these species in the North Atlantic region, offering valuable insights into their populations and establishing baseline information for managing sea urchin populations.
  • Zooplankton and micronekton active flux around the Iberian Peninsula
    María Couret, Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, José María Landeira, Sarah L. C. Giering, Will Major, M. Pilar Olivar, Javier Díaz-Pérez, Arturo Castellón, Santiago Hernández-León
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2025
    The biological carbon pump comprises a set of processes that transfer organic carbon from the ocean surface to its depths, playing a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Estimating the amount of carbon transported by this pump remains challenging due to the complex, variable nature of its pathways and the limited availability of comprehensive measurements. While the contribution of zooplankton to active flux has been examined, with studies reporting 10-30% of total particle export, the role of micronekton in this process is still poorly understood. Furthermore, the relative capacity of both communities to export carbon remains largely unclear. Here, we report total (zooplankton plus micronekton) active and passive fluxes from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean around the Iberian Peninsula, to explore how total active flux is influenced by environmental conditions. Water column physical properties differed between the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean zones, with chlorophyll a values two-fold higher in the upwelling off Portugal. Particulate organic carbon fluxes from sediment traps ranged from 4.24 ± 0.2 to 7.94 ± 3.9 mg C·m -2 ·d -1 . Active flux was dominated by zooplankton in the Mediterranean Sea (77.2 ± 21.2 vs. 14.8 ± 3.4 mg C·m -2 ·d -1 in the Atlantic), whereas micronekton contributed more in the Atlantic Ocean (15.1 ± 9.4 vs. 7.9 ± 6.8 mg C·m -2 ·d -1 ). This pattern shows that active flux far exceeded passive flux in all regions, with pelagic decapods playing a particularly important role in the northern Atlantic. Our results highlight the ecological significance of both zooplankton and micronekton in driving carbon flux, underlining the need to understand their relative contributions across contrasting environments to better explain the functioning of the biological carbon pump.
  • Seasonality of zooplankton active flux in subtropical waters
    Santiago Hernández‐León, Airam Sarmiento‐Lezcano, María Couret, Laia Armengol, Ione Medina‐Suárez, Effrosyni Fatira, Víctor Tuset, Abdallahi Limam, Antonio Sánchez Díez, Javier Díaz‐Pérez, José María Landeira
    Limnology and Oceanography, 2024
    The biological carbon pump (BCP) is the mechanism by which the ocean transports organic matter below the mixed layer, exporting or sequestering it for years to millennia. Physical transport of dissolved and particulate organic carbon, the sinking of particles, and the carbon transported by diel and seasonal vertical migrants are the three main mechanisms of the BCP. In the study of active flux, seasonality is almost unknown and changes in ocean productivity during the annual cycle could promote differences in this transport. Here, we show the results of a cruise performed during spring in the Canary Current System, where we studied zooplankton active flux in two transects from the coastal zone off Northwest Africa toward the ocean. We measured biomass and the enzymatic activity of the electron transfer system (ETS) as a proxy for respiration in the water column down to a depth of 900 m. Compared with a previous survey during fall, we found higher values of specific ETS activity in the mesopelagic zone, promoting a higher active flux. Our results showed that the seasonality of active flux is driven not only by differences in biomass but also by differences in respiration rates in the mesopelagic zone, mainly due to differences in zooplankton body size. A review of the zooplankton active flux values around the Canary Islands showed a fourfold increase during spring compared with other seasons. This small window of higher flux should be considered in models of active carbon export in the ocean.
  • Influence of extreme cold and warm oceanographic events on larval fish assemblages in the southern region of the California Current
    G Aceves-Medina, AG Uribe-Prado, SPA Jiménez-Rosenberg, R Durazo, RJ Saldierna-Martínez, R Avendaño-Ibarra, AN Sarmiento-Lezcano
    Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2024
    The larval fish community in the southern region of the California Current (CC) was analyzed to test the hypothesis of a northward expansion of tropical species for the summer-fall seasons of La Niña (LN) 2010-2011, The Blob 2014, and El Niño (EN) 2015-2016. Interannual temperature anomalies (-5 to +2°C), as well as decreases in chlorophyll a (68%) and zooplankton density (71%), resulted in dramatic changes in the larval fish community, such as an 82% decline in larval fish density, unprecedented for the CC. Tropical species richness increased in the north by 46%, while temperate species decreased by 65% in the south. Mesopelagic species richness and relative abundance increased in the north by 53 and 92%, respectively. In the south, the species richness of the demersal component increased up to 39%, although demersal species were co-dominant with mesopelagic species, accounting for 47% of the relative abundance compared to 49% for the mesopelagic species. The magnitude of the changes in the community was unparalleled when compared with other warming events, such as EN 1983-1984 or EN 1997-1998. The differences were probably related to the presence of The Blob, which favored the transport of oceanic species into the neritic region of the CC. In both cold and warm years, fronts and mesoscale eddies in the middle part of the Baja California Peninsula represented barriers to the latitudinal distribution of species, even during intense tropicalization processes, since no latitudinal extensions in species distribution occurred.
  • Composition and distribution of the zooplankton community along the west coast of Baja California peninsula and its relationships with the environment variables
    A.N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, G. Aceves-Medina, H. Villalobos, S. Hernández-Trujillo
    Journal of Marine Systems, 2024
    The year 2014 is between one of the coldest La Niña events (2011−2012), and one of the most intense warming events between (2013–2016) in the California Current System (CCS). The information provided in this work documents part of the missing information about zooplankton and oceanographic features for the year 2014 along the southern portion of the CCS off the western Coast of Baja California Peninsula (WBCP). The statistical analysis of environmental variables during the summer of 2014 distinguished three regions off the WBCP (north, transitional, and south), in coincidence with changes in zooplankton groups composition. Thermal and saline oceanic fronts off the central region coincided with an increasing abundance of gelatinous zooplankton, where two cold core eddies were present. These mesoscale structures represent physical barriers that seem to determine the distribution limits of planktonic communities. Since no day/night statistical differences in zooplankton composition were found, zooplankton community changes seem more related to the latitudinal environmental changes and mesoscale semi-permanent structures in the middle peninsula.
  • Respiration rates and its relationship with ETS activity in euphausiids: implications for active flux estimations
    María Couret, Javier Díaz-Pérez, Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, José María Landeira, Santiago Hernández-León
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2024
    Euphausiids, commonly known as krill, are crucial contributors to the ocean’s active carbon pump, impacting carbon export and sequestration through their diel vertical migration. These organisms feed on organic matter in the epipelagic layer at night and release inorganic carbon in the mesopelagic layer during the day via respiration. Measuring respiration in the mesopelagic layer is challenging due to the difficulties in obtaining direct measurements, as well as the lack of comprehensive data, and reliance on conservative estimates. The measurement of the electron transfer system (ETS) activity is used as a proxy to assess respiration in the mesopelagic layer. However, accurate calibration of respiration rates and ETS activity is imperative through experimental measurements and empirical data. Here, we compared the respiration rates with their respective ETS activities of different species of euphausiids captured at night in the epipelagic layer of the Atlantic Ocean along a latitudinal (42-29°N, 25°W) and a longitudinal (25-13°W, 29°N) transect. Our results revealed a spatial trend in respiration rates, and consequently in ETS activities, with rates decreasing southward and increasing slightly towards the African upwelling region. The Generalized Additive Model (GAM) demonstrated that epipelagic oxygen concentration, chlorophyll a, and the interaction between epipelagic temperature and mesopelagic oxygen concentration significantly influenced euphausiids respiration rates. Furthermore, we observed a strong correlation between respiration and specific ETS activities, with R/ETS ratios exceeding the conservative value of 0.5, which is typically used to estimate respiratory flux.
  • Mesozooplankton size structure in the Canary Current System
    María Couret, José M. Landeira, Víctor M. Tuset, Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, Pedro Vélez-Belchí, Santiago Hernández-León
    Marine Environmental Research, 2023
    Changes in plankton composition influences the dynamics of marine food webs and carbon sinking rates. Understanding the core structure and function of the plankton distribution is of paramount importance to know their role in trophic transfer and efficiency. Here, we studied the zooplankton distribution, abundance, composition, and size spectra for the characterization of the community under different oceanographic conditions in the Canaries-African Transition Zone (C-ATZ). This region is a transition zone between the coastal upwelling and the open ocean showing a high variability because of the physical, chemical, and biological changes between eutrophic and oligotrophic conditions through the annual cycle. During the late winter bloom (LWB), chlorophyll a and primary production were higher compared to that of the stratified season (SS), especially in the upwelling influenced area. Abundance distribution analysis clustered stations into two main groups according to the season (productive versus stratified season), and one group sampled in the upwelling influenced area. Size-spectra analysis showed steeper slopes during daytime in the SS, suggesting a less structured community and a higher trophic efficiency during the LWB due to the favorable oceanographic conditions. We also observed a significant difference between day and nighttime size spectra due to community change during diel vertical migration. Cladocera were the key taxa differentiating an Upwelling-group, from a LWB- and SS-group. These two latter groups were differentiated by Salpidae and Appendicularia mainly. Data obtained in this study suggested that abundance composition might be useful when describing community taxonomic changes, while size-spectra gives an idea of the ecosystem structure, predatory interactions with higher trophic levels and shifts in size structure.
  • Swimbladder properties of Cyclothone spp. in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Western Mediterranean Sea
    Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, M. Pilar Olivar, María José Caballero, María Couret, Santiago Hernández-León, Arturo Castellón, Marian Peña
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2023
  • Stranding of Mesopelagic Fishes in the Canary Islands
    Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, María Couret, Antoni Lombarte, María Pilar Olivar, José María Landeira, Santiago Hernández-León, Víctor M. Tuset
    Animals, 2022
  • Variation in mesopelagic fish community composition and structure between Mediterranean and Atlantic waters around the Iberian Peninsula
    M. Pilar Olivar, Arturo Castellón, Ana Sabatés, Airam Sarmiento-Lezcano, Mikhail Emelianov, Ainhoa Bernal, Yang Yang, Roland Proud, Andrew S. Brierley
    Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022
  • Active flux seasonality of the small dominant migratory crustaceans and mesopelagic fishes in the Gulf of California during June and October
    Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, Geraldine Busquets-Vass, Uriel Rubio-Rodríguez, M. Pilar Olivar, Marian Peña, Ione Medina-Suárez, Eduardo González-Rodríguez, Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez, Carlos J. Robinson, Santiago Hernández-León
    Progress in Oceanography, 2022
  • Carbon remineralization by small mesopelagic and bathypelagic Stomiiforms in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean
    Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, M. Pilar Olivar, Marian Peña, José M. Landeira, Laia Armengol, Ione Medina-Suárez, Arturo Castellón, Santiago Hernández-León
    Progress in Oceanography, 2022
  • First record and new size record for the oceanic species Psenes sio (Actinopterygii: Scombriformes: Nomeidae) in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico
    Uriel Rubio-Rodríguez, Carlos A. Godínez-Pérez, Airam N. Sarmiento-Lezcano
    Acta Ichthyologica Et Piscatoria, 2022
  • Preliminary assessment of the impact of Covid-19 Pandemic in the small-scale and recreational fisheries of the Canary Islands
    Airam Guerra-Marrero, Lorena Couce-Montero, David Jiménez-Alvarado, Ana Espino-Ruano, Raibel Núñez-González, Airam Sarmiento-Lezcano, Ángelo Santana del Pino, José J. Castro
    Marine Policy, 2021
  • A practical approach to monitoring marine protected areas an application to el bajo espíritu santo seamount near la paz, mexico
    , Héctor Villalobos, Juan Zwolinski, Carlos Godínez-Pérez, Violeta González-Máynez, Fernando Manini-Ramos, Melissa Mayorga-Martínez, William Michaels, Mitzi Palacios-Higuera, Uriel Rubio-Rodríguez, Airam Sarmiento-Lezcano, David Demer
    Oceanography, 2021
  • Contribution to the reproductive ecology of Notoscopelus resplendens (Richardson, 1845) (Myctophidae) in the Central-Eastern Atlantic
    A. N. Sarmiento-Lezcano, R. Triay-Portella, A. Guerra-Marrero, D. Jiménez-Alvarado, U. Rubio-Rodríguez, R. Núñez-González`, F. Bordes, J. J. Castro
    Scientific Reports, 2020
  • First assessment of the spearfishing impact in the Canary Islands
    David Jiménez-Alvarado, Airam Guerra-Marrero, Airam Sarmiento-Lezcano, Eva K.M. Meyers, José J. Castro
    Regional Studies in Marine Science, 2020
  • Migratory patterns, vertical distributions and diets of Abralia veranyi and Abraliopsis morisii (Cephalopoda: Enoploteuthidae) in the eastern North Atlantic
    Airam Guerra-Marrero, Vicente Hernández-García, Airam Sarmiento-Lezcano, David Jiménez-Alvarado, Angelo Santana-del Pino, José J Castro
    Journal of Molluscan Studies, 2020
  • Historical photographs of captures of recreational fishers indicate overexploitation of nearshore resources at an oceanic island
    David Jiménez‐Alvarado, Airam Sarmiento‐Lezcano, Airam Guerra‐Marrero, Fernando Tuya, Ángelo Santana Del Pino, Michael J. Sealey, José J. Castro
    Journal of Fish Biology, 2019
  • Age-based life-history parameters of the mesopelagic fish Notoscopelus resplendens (Richardson, 1845) in the Central Eastern Atlantic
    Airam-Nauzet Sarmiento-Lezcano, Raül Triay-Portella, José Juan Castro, Uriel Rubio-Rodríguez, José G. Pajuelo
    Fisheries Research, 2018