It has long been recognised that the distribution of plankton may be very
patchy, especially in the coastal regions because near the land the sea may be
frequently disturbed over small areas by the mixing of coastal and oceanic waters,
tidal streams and Ibe upwelling of the lower layers of water against ceastal banks.
This is further complicated by the sporadic outbursts of larva I forms from the
littoral fauna and the shallow water benthos
