Phytoplankton Photosynthetic Health Measurements from the Southern Ocean, December 2003

Fast Repetition Rate Fluorometry (FRRF) data collected on the RV L'Astrolabe from December 26, 2003, to January 1, 2004, during a voyage from Dumont d'Urville to Hobart. The dataset contains continuous measurements of the maximum photochemical efficiency of photosystem II (Fv/Fm), a key indicator of phytoplankton health, taken at one-minute intervals from a seawater supply at 3 meters depth. Data were contributed by the Australian Ocean Data Network.

Use Cases

• Modeling primary production rates based on Fv/Fm, absorption cross-section, and chlorophyll concentration mentioned in the description.
• Assessing phytoplankton community stress responses based on continuous Fv/Fm measurements taken at one-minute intervals.
• Investigating the relationship between physical/chemical ocean properties and photosynthetic efficiency based on the described diagnostic nature of Fv/Fm.
• Calibrating or validating satellite-derived ocean color products with in-situ fluorometry measurements from a defined transect.

Strengths

• Data collection covers a specific 7-day transect in the Southern Ocean from December 26, 2003, to January 1, 2004.
• Measurements were taken at a high temporal resolution of one-minute intervals.
• Seawater samples were drawn from a standardized 3-meter depth via the ship's clean seawater line, suggesting consistent sampling conditions.
• The dataset focuses on Fv/Fm, a well-established and widely utilized parameter in phytoplankton research.

Limitations

• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic and temporal bias inherent to the single ship track in December 2003.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Continuous FRR fluorescence measurements from the ship's seawater line, using a specific flash sequence for dark-adapted samples.

Time Range

2003-12-26 to 2004-01-01

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06 27 18:33:07.633442; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Ocean transect from Dumont d'Urville to Hobart.