KOMBI: Antarctic Seafloor Lander Data for Krill and Ecosystem Monitoring, 2024-2025

Australian Ocean Data Network provides data from three Krill Observational Mooring for Benthic Investigation (KOMBI) seafloor landers deployed in the Southern Ocean during 2024-2025. The autonomous platforms collected high-resolution time-series data on krill, non-krill species, and their environment using sensors for temperature, salinity, pressure, video, currents, and acoustics. Data collection for this ongoing time series began in 2021.

Use Cases

• Study seasonal to interannual variability of krill populations based on integrated acoustic and video sensor data.
• Model pelagic habitat dynamics in the Antarctic based on concurrent CTD (temperature, salinity, pressure) and current profile measurements.
• Calibrate active acoustic instruments for marine surveys based on included echosounder calibration files and raw data.
• Conduct long-term ecosystem monitoring to complement ship-based programs based on the year-long, continuous observational design.

Strengths

• Data spans a full year of continuous, high-resolution observations from each mooring.
• Integrates multiple sensor types including active/passive acoustics, CTD, video, and current profilers for a holistic view.
• Includes detailed calibration data and code for acoustic instruments, specifically for narrowband frequencies.
• Moorings are deployed at precise depths between 350m and 1500m to avoid iceberg collisions.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• The dataset description notes that hydrophone data are available in separate metadata records, indicating data fragmentation.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Collected autonomously by KOMBI seafloor lander platforms equipped with multiple sensors, deployed from vessels in summer months.

Time Range

2024-2025 (data collection for the overall project began in 2021 and is ongoing)

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-10 00:37:39.646779; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Southern Ocean, specifically the Antarctic continental shelf and shelf break