RV Investigator Voyage IN2016_T02 Seabird and Marine Mammal Observations

393 observations of seabirds, cetaceans, and seals recorded during a daylight transit from Hobart to Sydney in May 2016. The data includes 33 bird species, 3 cetacean species, and one seal species, with species linked to the World Register of Marine Species. This trial dataset was published by the Australian Ocean Data Network to the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.

Use Cases

• Analyze species composition and relative abundance based on the 393 recorded sightings.
• Model spatial distribution of common species like Pachyptila turtur and Thalassarche cauta during the transit.
• Validate or supplement marine species registries using the provided WoRMS linkages.
• Assess the efficacy of observation protocols for future marine survey voyages.

Strengths

• Includes 393 specific observations from a defined voyage.
• Covers 33 bird species, 3 cetacean species, and one seal species.
• Species are linked to the authoritative World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).
• Data is published to the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), a recognized repository.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data collection was a trial run, which may affect protocol consistency.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network

Collection Method

Observations made every ten minutes in the forward quadrant during daylight hours from the RV Investigator observation deck.

Time Range

May 2016

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-28 12:40:42.080327; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Transit route from Hobart, Tasmania to Sydney, Australia