Southern California Invertebrate Diversity Gridded by Trawl Survey

426 fisheries-independent trawls collected data on 288 invertebrate species off southern California. The NOAA_NCEI dataset calculates the mean Shannon Index of diversity for each 5-minute grid cell. Data collection occurred during June-August, with a last recorded metadata update in March 2026.

Use Cases

• Mapping spatial patterns of invertebrate biodiversity using the gridded Shannon Index values.
• Analyzing species richness and evenness across different depth ranges (2-215 meters).
• Correlating invertebrate diversity with environmental factors within the defined grid cells.
• Validating ecological models for southern California coastal waters using trawl survey data.

Strengths

• Data is based on a substantial field effort of 426 standardized trawls.
• Biodiversity is quantified using the established Shannon Index for 288 species.
• Spatial analysis is structured on a consistent 5x5 minute grid system.

Limitations

• Specific column names, row counts, and file size are not provided by any source.
• The dataset's temporal coverage is limited to summer months (June-August).
• Sources conflict on update date, with one listing a future date (2026-03-13).

Provenance

Source

NOAA_NCEI, derived from Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) data.

Collection Method

Invertebrate trawls using a 7.6-m semi-balloon otter trawl, with diversity indices calculated and averaged within GIS-generated grid cells.

Time Range

Data collected during June-August (specific years not provided).

Freshness

2026-03-13 20:39:22.426282

Geography

Southern California coastal waters.