Australian Zooplankton Abundance From Continuous Plankton Recorder Surveys

Australian waters host a long-term plankton baseline survey measuring zooplankton communities to guide ocean health. The dataset is a joint project by CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere and the Australian Antarctic Division, funded by the Integrated Marine Observing System. Results are made available through binned products suitable for time series analysis, with data accessible via the AODN portal.

Use Cases

• Analyze zooplankton species abundance over time to document changes in response to climate change.
• Map plankton biodiversity and distribution using species presence/absence and abundance data.
• Develop indices for fisheries management by correlating plankton data with fishery health metrics.
• Detect harmful algal blooms by monitoring specific phytoplankton and zooplankton group abundances.
• Validate satellite remote sensing of ocean color by comparing with in-situ plankton concentration data.

Strengths

• Data products account for taxonomic changes and analyst skill improvements over time.
• Provides a first long-term plankton baseline for Australian waters.
• Includes explicit codes for real absences (0) and unsearched taxa (-999) for reliable analysis.

Limitations

• Sample analysis method differs from the standard Richardson et al. 2006 protocol, complicating direct comparisons.
• Taxonomic resolution and the number of identifiable species may vary over the time series.
• Specific row count, column details, and geographic granularity are not provided in the input.

Provenance

Source

Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) Ships of Opportunity facility, via the Australian Ocean Data Network (AODN) portal.

Collection Method

Samples collected by Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR), with zooplankton counted off the silk in a Bogorov tray under a dissecting scope.

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated record indicates 2026-04-04, but specific update frequency is null.

Geography

Australian waters, including areas serviced by CSIRO labs in Queensland and Hobart and the Australian Antarctic Division in Hobart.