Antarctic Phytoplankton Microscopy Images from KAXIS V3 Voyage

Light microscopy images of phytoplankton were collected onboard the Aurora Australis during the KAXIS V3 voyage in the 2015/2016 season. The Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC) organized the collection, using a prototype basket sampler and net tows to concentrate samples from the underway water supply. Samples were preserved and imaged with a Leica DMLB2 microscope and ICC50 camera.

Use Cases

• Classify phytoplankton species from light microscopy images using image recognition techniques.
• Analyze phytoplankton abundance in relation to recorded voyage distance and approximate water volume sampled.
• Correlate sample collection details from the voyage sample log with specific microscope images for ecological studies.

Strengths

• Images captured with a standardized Leica DMLB2 microscope and ICC50 camera system.
• Collection includes associated metadata on sampling method, location from stations, and sample preservation.

Limitations

• Specific row count, image count, and file size are unknown.
• Data is from a single voyage season (2015/2016), limiting temporal analysis.
• Geographic coverage is confined to the route of the Aurora Australis during the KAXIS V3 expedition.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC) via NASA Earthdata.

Collection Method

Samples collected via a prototype basket sampler filtering underway water and phytoplankton net tows at stations, imaged with a Leica microscope.

Time Range

2015/2016 Antarctic season.

Freshness

Last updated in March 2016; static dataset from a specific expedition.

Geography

Southern Ocean, along the route of the Aurora Australis research vessel.