AusCPR: Zooplankton Abundance Data for Australian Waters

The Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder survey measures plankton communities as a guide to ocean health. It is a joint project between CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division, funded by the Integrated Marine Observing System. Data are binned products suitable for time series analysis, with zero values indicating a species was looked for and not seen.

Use Cases

• Map plankton biodiversity and distribution based on species abundance counts.
• Develop a long-term plankton baseline for Australian waters based on continuous survey data.
• Document plankton changes in response to climate change based on time-series observations.
• Provide indices for fisheries management based on plankton community data.
• Detect harmful algal blooms based on phytoplankton and zooplankton abundance.

Strengths

• Data are binned products designed for ease of use in time series analysis.
• Abundance values distinguish between true absence (0) and data not collected (-999).
• Survey aims are clearly defined, including mapping biodiversity and validating satellite sensing.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Taxonomy and analyst skill change over time, which the products account for, but may introduce complexity.

Provenance

Source

CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division.

Collection Method

Plankton collected via Continuous Plankton Recorder, rinsed from silk, counted in a Bogorov tray.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-16 09:28:50.483398; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Australian waters.