Bransfield Strait Oceanographic and Plankton Survey

A 30,000 km2 oceanographic survey of the Bransfield Strait and South Bay near Livingston Island, Antarctica. The dataset contains measurements of temperature, salinity, oxygen, nutrients, and plankton communities collected via CTD probes, Niskin bottles, and plankton nets. The campaign was conducted by the organization SCIOPS, with data collection concluding in 1991.

Use Cases

• Modeling phytoplankton productivity using nutrient concentration and water column data from Niskin bottle samples.
• Analyzing zooplankton community composition and faunistic aspects from vertical WP2 net and stratified Bioness multi-seine net catches.
• Studying hydrodynamics and current patterns in South Bay using CTD probe recordings of vertical temperature and salinity profiles.
• Investigating ichthyoplankton distribution and abundance from stratified plankton net samples.
• Examining plankton nychthemereal (diel) migration patterns through periodic sampling over a 36-hour station.

Strengths

• Sampling covered a large area of 30,000 square kilometers in the Antarctic region.
• Data collection followed a detailed protocol including CTD profiles and water sampling at six standard depths (1, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100 m).

Limitations

• The dataset is temporally stale, with the last update recorded in December 1991.
• Specific sample counts, row numbers, and data completeness metrics are unknown.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS via NASA EarthData (nasa_earthdata).

Collection Method

Field campaign using CTD probes, Niskin bottles for water sampling, and WP2 and Bioness multi-seine nets for plankton collection.

Time Range

Campaign concluded on 1991-12-31.

Geography

Bransfield Strait, South Bay, and Gerlache Strait near Livingston Island, Antarctica.