Correction: Kim et al. Spatial Distribution Pattern of the Mesozooplankton Community in Ross Sea Region Marine Protected Area (RSR MPA) during Summer. Diversity 2024, 16, 174

The authors realized that there were critical inaccuracies in their environmental data analysis, specifically related to chlorophyll (chl) and nutrient concentrations. The methodology was incorrectly described in the ‘Data Sampling and Sample Processing’ subsection. As a result, the authors have deleted all the data related to chlorophyll and nutrient concentrations in the original publication. Additionally, there were some mistakes in the citation of references in the original version [1]. Chlorophyll data have been newly added to make up for the previous results. The citation have been revised. The following corrections have been made to the manuscript:

Correction in Figures/Tables

The data values were incorrectly described in Table 1. The data have been changed in Figures 2, 3 and 6. The corrected

Table 1. Summary of the environmental parameters sampled during the survey in the RSR MPA. Min values mean lowest values among all sampling stations, while Max values mean highest values.

	Min	Max	Av	SD
Tempsurface (°C)	−1.61	0.44	−0.59	0.46
Tempaverage (°C)	−1.82	−1.03	−1.42	0.21
Salsurface (PSU)	33.72	34.3	34.08	0.16
Salaverage (PSU)	34.08	34.72	34.40	0.18
DOsurface (mg/L)	342.52	401.38	370.36	16.68
DOaverage (mg/L)	288.64	335.43	310.59	10.87
Chl-asurface (μg/m3)	0.17	2.08	0.75	0.43
Chl-aaverage (μg/m3)	0.23	1.01	0.66	0.19

Av: average; DO: dissolved oxygen; Chl-a: Chlorophyll-a concentration; Max: maximum; Min: minimum; Temp: temperature; Sal: salinity; SD: standard deviation.

and Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 6 appear below.

Text Correction

• Abstract, first paragraph, tenth sentence:

These four groups were influenced by various environmental factors, such as water temperature and salinity.

• Introduction, first paragraph, sixth sentence, and second paragraph, last sentence:

Consequently, CDW and SW mix and make modified Circumpolar Deep Water (MCDW) and modified Shelf Water (MSW) in the Ross Sea continental shelf [5].

Furthermore, the mesozooplankton community was assessed alongside environmental factors such as temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll concentration to reveal the relationships between them.

• 2.1. Data Sampling and Sample Processing, second and third paragraphs:

For the environmental analyses, vertical profiles of temperature (Temp, °C), salinity (Sal, PSU), dissolved oxygen (DO, mg/L), and fluorescence were obtained from the surface-to-bottom depth of each station using a conductivity–temperature–depth (CTD) probe (Sea-Bird, SBE 911 plus) with an oxygen sensor attached at every sampling station. The chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a, μg/m³) was calculated using a linear relationship (R² = 0.91) between the fluorescence and Chl-a values obtained in the Ross Sea during the same cruise.

For the subsequent analyses, Temp, Sal, DO, and Chl-a were averaged for surface values from 0 to 10 m (e.g., Sal_surface) and for completely integrated values from 0 to either 100 m or 200 m (e.g., Sal_average), respectively. The average values were calculated from the surface to 200 m for Temp, Sal, and DO and from the surface to 100 m for Chl-a.

• 2.2. Data Processing, first paragraph, third and fourth sentences:

For the environmental analyses, draftsman plots were constructed to apply an appropriate transformation to the environmental parameters [28]. As a result, DO_average and Chl-a_surface were transformed using log (X + 1) before analysis.

• 3.1. Spatial Variation in the Environmental Parameters, first paragraph:

The values of the environmental parameters at the sampling stations are summarized in Table 1 and depicted in Figures 2 and 3. Considering the sea ice concentration, Terra Nova Bay was surrounded by sea ice, while the Ross Sea was not (Figure S1). When comparing the environmental parameters, the highest Temp_surface was 0.44 °C at station B16, while the lowest was −1.61 °C at station B26. Similarly, the highest Temp_average was −1.03 °C at station B41, whereas the lowest was −1.82 °C at station B18. Overall, the average water temperature was lower than the surface water temperature. Therefore, the average salinity was higher than the surface salinity. Salinities ranged from 33.72 to 34.72 PSU. The average salinity was higher than the surface salinity. Station B35 at the surface and station B18 at the average value showed the highest salinity value, while station B69 at the surface and station B71 at the average value indicated the highest salinity value. However, the DO values were higher at the surface compared to the average values. Station B44 had the lowest DO value for both the surface and average values, while station B11 at the surface and B35 on average had the highest DO values, respectively. For the Chl-a value, surface and average values showed similar patterns to each other. Namely, high chlorophyll concentration, both at the surface and average values, were observed near stations on the Ross Sea continental shelf. Overall, the Terra Nova Bay stations exhibited relatively low temperatures and high salinity. The Ross Sea continental shelf stations showed high temperatures, DO, and Chl-a values.

• 3.3. Spatial Pattern of the Mesozooplankton Community, third paragraph, eighth and last sentences:

Regarding the environmental parameters (Figure 6B), Temp_surface, DO_average, Chl-a_surface, and Chl-a_average showed a positive correlation with group D, where these values showed a negative correlation with other groups.

In the BIOENV analysis, the mesozooplankton community was best described by a combination of Temp_average and Chl-a_average (ρ = 0.481, p < 0.05).

• 4. Discussion, first paragraph, and third paragraph, fourth, fourteenth and fifteenth sentences:

In the environmental analyses, water temperature and salinity showed similar distribution patterns except for the Terra Nova Bay region. These environmental parameters indicated an eastward gradient. In other words, the western stations of the Ross Sea region showed relatively high water temperature and salinity values, although the water temperature values of the Terra Nova Bay stations were lower than those of the Ross Sea continental shelf stations. Considering that Terra Nova Bay and the Ross Sea ice shelf are the main sources of Shelf Water (SW), which is generally cold and salty, these trends relied on the formation of the water masses [5]. Apart from water temperature and salinity, DO and chlorophyll-a concentration values represented a geographical distribution pattern. Considering that Modified Circumpolar Deep Water (MCDW) having low DO concentration has been found to flow into the northwest Ross Sea continental shelf region, these previous results correspond well with the results of the present survey, which confirmed the presence of low DO near the Ross Sea continental slope region [10,29]. Regarding the chlorophyll-a concentrations, a relatively high values was confirmed around the Ross Sea continental shelf region. These results are in agreement with those of previous studies that have shown that primary production is high in the polynya regions [7,9,30].

Considering that these stations showed much lower temperatures and higher salinity values than the other groups, it is likely that these environmental parameters influenced the group A composition.

Additionally, this result corresponds well with the high chlorophyll-a concentration in the continental shelf. This high chlorophyll-a concentration favors the survival of larval krill in the Ross Sea continental shelf region in January [37–39].

• Funding: This research was funded by a Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST) grant funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (KIMST 20220547).
• Acknowledgments: The authors thank all those involved in sample collection for their contributions. The authors appreciate the assistance of the captain and crew of IBRV Araon. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Sun-Yong Ha and Jun-Oh Min for providing the chlorophyll-a concentration data, which have significantly contributed to this study.

References

The references 25–27 were removed from the original publication. With this correction, the order of some references has been adjusted accordingly.

The original publication has also been updated.