Antarctic Krill 3D Trajectories from Underwater Camera Array

305 individual Antarctic krill had their head and tail 3D coordinates recorded using a 10-camera GoPro array. The Australian Ocean Data Network collected this data during the RV Investigator's TEMPO survey voyage from January to March 2021. Observations support krill biomass estimates for updating fishery catch limits in the Southern Ocean.

Use Cases

• Model individual krill swimming trajectories using the 3D coordinate tracks from video frames.
• Analyze krill orientation and body alignment within swarms using paired head and tail coordinates.
• Calibrate biomass estimation models by linking observed 3D positioning data to swarm density.
• Study fine-scale behavioral responses by correlating individual coordinate changes with environmental data.

Strengths

• Data captures 305 individual krill, enabling analysis at the organism level.
• 3D coordinates derived from a synchronized array of 10 underwater cameras.
• Collection occurred during a dedicated 2-month scientific voyage in 2021.

Limitations

• Sample size is limited to 305 tracked individuals from specific swarm encounters.
• Unknown if data includes timestamps for temporal analysis of movement sequences.
• Geographic coverage is restricted to the survey area off the Australian Antarctic Territory.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network, from the Marine National Facility RV Investigator voyage IN2021_V01.

Collection Method

3D coordinates extracted from video footage captured by an array of 10 GoPro Hero-8 cameras deployed into krill swarms.

Time Range

29 January to 24 March 2021 (AEST).

Freshness

Data from 2021, with record last updated in April 2026.

Geography

Southern Ocean, off the Australian Antarctic Territory (CCAMLR Division 58.4.2-East).