Eleven cruises aboard the R/V Thomas G. Thompson collected zooplankton samples in the Arabian Sea from October 1994 to January 1996. Mesozooplankton carbon biomass and displacement volume data are available in multiple size fractions, determined by CHN analysis and dry weight methods. The dataset also includes microzooplankton abundances and biomass from specific cruises.
Use Cases
- Modeling carbon flux in the Arabian Sea based on mesozooplankton biomass data.
- Analyzing seasonal variation in zooplankton communities based on data from four seasonally-spaced cruises.
- Comparing biomass estimation methods (CHN analysis vs. dry weight) across different size fractions.
- Studying microzooplankton community composition based on abundances of heterotrophic nanoflagellates, dinoflagellates, and ciliates.
Strengths
- Data covers the annual monsoon and inter-monsoon cycles over approximately sixteen months.
- Biomass measurements are provided in multiple size fractions (e.g., 64-200 microns, >200 microns).
- Includes data from multiple collection methods (MOCNESS and Bongo nets) and specific tow depths.
Limitations
- Last updated 1996-01-31 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
- Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
- Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Provenance
- Source
- U.S. Joint Global Ocean Flux Study (JGOFS) Arabian Sea Process Study.
- Collection Method
- Samples collected using MOCNESS and Bongo nets during research cruises.
- Time Range
- October 1994 to January 1996.
- Geography
- Arabian Sea, southeast of Oman.