RV Investigator IN2026_V01: Antarctic Acoustic Backscatter Data

Scientific split-beam echosounder data collected during the RV Investigator voyage IN2026_V01, titled 'Cook Ice Ecosystems and Sediments (COOKIES).' The voyage was conducted by the Australian Ocean Data Network between January 02 and February 25, 2026, departing from and returning to Hobart. The dataset comprises 2,435 raw data files totaling 231 GB, with no post-processing applied.

Use Cases

• Mapping Antarctic marine biomass distribution based on acoustic backscatter across multiple frequencies.
• Analyzing water column structure and pelagic communities based on continuous, multi-frequency echosounder logs.
• Studying the acoustic properties of the seafloor and sub-bottom sediments based on data collected to a 4,500 m range.
• Investigating temporal changes in acoustic scattering during the transit legs based on IMOS-standardized settings.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a 55-day voyage, providing continuous temporal coverage.
• Includes multi-frequency acoustic data from 18, 38, 70, 120, 200, and 333 kHz echosounders.
• Raw dataset totals 231 GB across 2,435 files, indicating substantial data volume.

Limitations

• No post-processing has been conducted on this data, requiring significant user effort for analysis.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data freshness should be verified; last updated 2026-06-16 19:25:02.745305.

Provenance

Source

Australian Ocean Data Network via data_gov_au.

Collection Method

Acquired using Simrad EK80 split-beam echosounders on the RV Investigator research vessel.

Time Range

January 02, 2026 to February 25, 2026 (AEST).

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-16 19:25:02.745305.

Geography

Antarctic region, with transit legs from Hobart, Tasmania.