This dataset contains data collected by the Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder (AusCPR) survey and is funded by IMOS (Ships of Opportunity sub-facility) and CSIRO. The aims of the AusCPR survey are to: * map plankton biodiversity and distribution * develop the first long-term plankton baseline for Australian waters * document plankton changes in response to climate change * provide indices for fisheries management * detect harmful algal blooms * validate satellite remote sensing * initialise and test ecosystem models. The survey conducts repeat tows in the GBR, the East Australian Current and down to the Southern Ocean Time Series Mooring (SOTS). Other routes are conducted on an adhoc nature around Australia.
The dataset also contains phytoplankton data from the UTAS / AAD led Southern Ocean CPR (SOCPR) project which is also funded by IMOS.
The datasets available in this collection include Phytoplankton Colour Index (an estimate of chlorophyll in the water), phytoplankton abundance, zooplankton abundance and a biomass index from AusCPR and phytoplankton abundance from SOCPR.
This data are freely available through the AODN portal: https://portal.aodn.org.au.
This data is freely available but please acknowledge all relevant parties, as detailed in acknowledgement section.