Global distributions of epipelagic macrozooplankton abundance and biomass - Gridded data product (NetCDF) - Contribution to the MAREDAT World Ocean Atlas of Plankton Functional Types

Macrozooplankton are an important link between higher and lower trophic levels in the oceans. They serve as the primary food for fish, reptiles, birds and mammals in some regions, and play a role in the export of carbon from the surface to the intermediate and deep ocean. Little, however, is known of their global distribution and biomass. Here we compiled a dataset of macrozooplankton abundance and biomass observations for the global ocean from a collection of four datasets. We harmonise the data to common units, calculate additional carbon biomass where possible, and bin the dataset in a global 1 x 1 degree grid. This dataset is part of a wider effort to provide a global picture of carbon biomass data for key plankton functional types, in particular to support the development of marine ecosystem models. Over 387 700 abundance data and 1330 carbon biomass data have been collected from pre-existing datasets. A further 34 938 abundance data were converted to carbon biomass data using species-specific length frequencies or using species-specific abundance to carbon biomass data. Depth-integrated values are used to calculate known epipelagic macrozooplankton biomass concentrations and global biomass. Global macrozooplankton biomass has a mean of 8.4 µg C l-1, median of 0.15 µg C l-1 and a standard deviation of 63.46 µg C l-1. The global annual average estimate of epipelagic macrozooplankton, based on the median value, is 0.02 Pg C. Biomass is highest in the tropics, decreasing in the sub-tropics and increasing slightly towards the poles. There are, however, limitations on the dataset; abundance observations have good coverage except in the South Pacific mid latitudes, but biomass observation coverage is only good at high latitudes. Biomass is restricted to data that is originally given in carbon or to data that can be converted from abundance to carbon. Carbon conversions from abundance are restricted in the most part by the lack of information on the size of the organism and/or the absence of taxonomic information. Distribution patterns of global macrozooplankton biomass and statistical information about biomass concentrations may be used to validate biogeochemical models and Plankton Functional Type models.

Global distributions of coccolithophores abundance and biomass - Gridded data product (NetCDF) - Contribution to the MAREDAT World Ocean Atlas of Plankton Functional Types

Coccolithophores are calcifying marine phytoplankton of the class Prymnesiophyceae. They are considered to play an import role in the global carbon cycle through the production and export of organic carbon and calcite. We have compiled observations of global coccolithophore abundance from several existing databases as well as individual contributions of published and unpublished datasets. We estimate carbon biomass using standardised conversion methods and provide estimates of uncertainty associated with these values. The database contains 58 384 individual observations at various taxonomic levels. This corresponds to 12 391 observations of total coccolithophore abundance and biomass. The data span a time period of 1929-2008, with observations from all ocean basins and all seasons, and at depths ranging from the surface to 500 m. Highest biomass values are reported in the North Atlantic, with a maximum of 501.7 ?gCl-1. Lower values are reported for the Pacific (maximum of 79.4 ?gCl-1) and Indian Ocean (up to 178.3 ?gCl-1). Coccolithophores are reported across all latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, from the Equator to 89degN, although biomass values fall below 3 ?gCl-1 north of 70degN. In the Southern Hemisphere, biomass values fall rapidly south of 50degS, with only a single non-zero observation south of 60degS. Biomass values show a clear seasonal cycle in the Northern Hemisphere, reaching a maximum in the summer months (June-July). In the Southern Hemisphere the seasonal cycle is less evident, possibly due to a greater proportion of low-latitude data.

Global distributions of Phaeocystis sp. abundance and biomass - Gridded data product (NetCDF) - Contribution to the MAREDAT World Ocean Atlas of Plankton Functional Types

The planktonic haptophyte Phaeocystis has been suggested to play a fundamental role in the global biogeochemical cycling of carbon and sulphur, but little is known about its global biomass distribution. We have collected global microscopy data of the genus Phaeocystis and converted abundance data to carbon biomass using species-specific carbon conversion factors. Microscopic counts of single-celled and colonial Phaeocystis were obtained both through the mining of online databases and by accepting direct submissions (both published and unpublished) from Phaeocystis specialists. We recorded abundance data from a total of 1595 depth-resolved stations sampled between 1955-2009. The quality-controlled dataset includes 5057 counts of individual Phaeocystis cells resolved to species level and information regarding life-stages from 3526 samples. 83% of stations were located in the Northern Hemisphere while 17% were located in the Southern Hemisphere. Most data were located in the latitude range of 50-70° N. While the seasonal distribution of Northern Hemisphere data was well-balanced, Southern Hemisphere data was biased towards summer months. Mean species- and form-specific cell diameters were determined from previously published studies. Cell diameters were used to calculate the cellular biovolume of Phaeocystis cells, assuming spherical geometry. Cell biomass was calculated using a carbon conversion factor for Prymnesiophytes (Menden-Deuer and Lessard, 2000). For colonies, the number of cells per colony was derived from the colony volume. Cell numbers were then converted to carbon concentrations. An estimation of colonial mucus carbon was included a posteriori, assuming a mean colony size for each species. Carbon content per cell ranged from 9 pg (single-celled Phaeocystis antarctica) to 29 pg (colonial Phaeocystis globosa). Non-zero Phaeocystis cell biomasses (without mucus carbon) range from 2.9 - 10?5 µg l-1 to 5.4 - 103 µg l-1, with a mean of 45.7 µg l-1 and a median of 3.0 µg l-1. Highest biomasses occur in the Southern Ocean below 70° S (up to 783.9 µg l-1), and in the North Atlantic around 50° N (up to 5.4 - 103 µg l-1).

Effects of ocean acidification and global warming on reef bioerosion-lessons from a clionaid sponge

Coral reefs are under threat, exerted by a number of interacting effects inherent to the present climate change, including ocean acidification and global warming. Bioerosion drives reef degradation by recycling carbonate skeletal material and is an important but understudied factor in this context. Twelve different combinations of pCO2 and temperature were applied to elucidate the consequences of ocean acidification and global warming on the physiological response and bioerosion rates of the zooxanthellate sponge Cliona orientalis-one of the most abundant and effective bioeroders on the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. Our results confirm a significant amplification of the sponges' bioerosion capacity with increasing pCO2, which is expressed by more carbonate being chemically dissolved by etching. The health of the sponges and their photosymbionts was not affected by changes in pCO2, in contrast to temperature, which had significant negative impacts at higher levels. However, we could not conclusively explain the relationship between temperature and bioerosion rates, which were slightly reduced at both colder as well as warmer temperatures than ambient. The present findings on the effects of ocean acidification on chemical bioerosion, however, will have significant implications for predicting future reef carbonate budgets, as sponges often contribute the lion's share of internal bioerosion on coral reefs.

Global distributions of modern planktic foraminifera abundance and biomass - Gridded data product (NetCDF) - Contribution to the MAREDAT World Ocean Atlas of Plankton Functional Types

Planktic foraminifera are heterotrophic mesozooplankton of global marine abundance. The position of planktic foraminifers in the marine food web is different compared to other protozoans and ranges above the base of heterotrophic consumers. Being secondary producers with an omnivorous diet, which ranges from algae to small metazoans, planktic foraminifers are not limited to a single food source, and are assumed to occur at a balanced abundance displaying the overall marine biological productivity at a regional scale. We have calculated the assemblage carbon biomass from data on standing stocks between the sea surface and 2500 m water depth, based on 754 protein-biomass data of 21 planktic foraminifer species and morphotypes, produced with a newly developed method to analyze the protein biomass of single planktic foraminifer specimens. Samples include symbiont bearing and symbiont barren species, characteristic of surface and deep-water habitats. Conversion factors between individual protein-biomass and assemblage-biomass are calculated for test sizes between 72 and 845 µm (minimum diameter). The calculated assemblage biomass data presented here include 1057 sites and water depth intervals. Although the regional coverage of database is limited to the North Atlantic, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and Caribbean, our data include a wide range of oligotrophic to eutrophic waters covering six orders of magnitude of assemblage biomass. A first order estimate of the global planktic foraminifer biomass from average standing stocks (>125 µm) ranges at 8.5-32.7 Tg C yr-1 (i.e. 0.008-0.033 Gt C yr-1), and might be more than three time as high including the entire fauna including neanic and juvenile individuals adding up to 25-100 Tg C yr-1. However, this is a first estimate of regional planktic-foraminifer assemblage-biomass (PFAB) extrapolated to the global scale, and future estimates based on larger data-sets might considerably deviate from the one presented here. This paper is supported by, and a contribution to the Marine Ecosystem Data project (MAREDAT).

Global compilation of chlorophyll fluorescence profiles from several data bases, and from published and unpublished individual sources

The present data set includes 268,127 vertical in situ fluorescence profiles obtained from several available online databases and from published and unpublished individual sources. Metadata about each profiles are given in the file provided here in further details. The majority of profiles comes from the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) and the fluorescence profiles acquired by Bio-Argo floats available on the Oceanographic Autonomous Observations (OAO) platform (63.7% and 12.5% respectively). Different modes of acquisition were used to collect the data presented in this study: (1) CTD profiles are acquired using a fluorometer mounted on a CTD-rosette; (2) OSD (Ocean Station Data) profiles are derived from water samples and are defined as low resolution profiles; (3) the UOR (Undulating Oceanographic Recorder) profiles are acquired by a equipped with a fluorometer and towed by a research vessel; (4) PA profiles are acquired by autonomous platforms (here profiling floats or elephant seals equipped with a fluorometer). Data acquired from gliders are not included in the compilation.

Database of the GLAMAP project

A uniform chronology for foraminifera-based sea surface temperature records has been established in more than 120 sediment cores obtained from the equatorial and eastern Atlantic up to the Arctic Ocean. The chronostratigraphy of the last 30,000 years is mainly based on published d18O records and 14C ages from accelerator mass spectrometry, converted into calendar-year ages. The high-precision age control provides the database necessary for the uniform reconstruction of the climate interval of the Last Glacial Maximum within the GLAMAP-2000 project.

A compilation of global bio-optical in situ data for ocean-colour satellite applications

A compiled set of in situ data is important to evaluate the quality of ocean-colour satellite-data records. Here we describe the data compiled for the validation of the ocean-colour products from the ESA Ocean Colour Climate Change Initiative (OC-CCI). The data were acquired from several sources (MOBY, BOUSSOLE, AERONET-OC, SeaBASS, NOMAD, MERMAID, AMT, ICES, HOT, GeP&CO), span between 1997 and 2012, and have a global distribution. Observations of the following variables were compiled: spectral remote-sensing reflectances, concentrations of chlorophyll a, spectral inherent optical properties and spectral diffuse attenuation coefficients. The data were from multi-project archives acquired via the open internet services or from individual projects, acquired directly from data providers. Methodologies were implemented for homogenisation, quality control and merging of all data. No changes were made to the original data, other than averaging of observations that were close in time and space, elimination of some points after quality control and conversion to a standard format. The final result is a merged table designed for validation of satellite-derived ocean-colour products and available in text format. Metadata of each in situ measurement (original source, cruise or experiment, principal investigator) were preserved throughout the work and made available in the final table. Using all the data in a validation exercise increases the number of matchups and enhances the representativeness of different marine regimes. By making available the metadata, it is also possible to analyse each set of data separately.

Sea surface and the sea floor regionalization of the Southern Ocean by multivariate cluster analysis, links to ArcGIS project files

This study subdivides the Weddell Sea, Antarctica, into seafloor regions using multivariate statistical methods. These regions are categories used for comparing, contrasting and quantifying biogeochemical processes and biodiversity between ocean regions geographically but also regions under development within the scope of global change. The division obtained is characterized by the dominating components and interpreted in terms of ruling environmental conditions. The analysis uses 28 environmental variables for the sea surface, 25 variables for the seabed and 9 variables for the analysis between surface and bottom variables. The data were taken during the years 1983-2013. Some data were interpolated. The statistical errors of several interpolation methods (e.g. IDW, Indicator, Ordinary and Co-Kriging) with changing settings have been compared for the identification of the most reasonable method. The multivariate mathematical procedures used are regionalized classification via k means cluster analysis, canonical-correlation analysis and multidimensional scaling. Canonical-correlation analysis identifies the influencing factors in the different parts of the cove. Several methods for the identification of the optimum number of clusters have been tested. For the seabed 8 and 12 clusters were identified as reasonable numbers for clustering the Weddell Sea. For the sea surface the numbers 8 and 13 and for the top/bottom analysis 8 and 3 were identified, respectively. Additionally, the results of 20 clusters are presented for the three alternatives offering the first small scale environmental regionalization of the Weddell Sea. Especially the results of 12 clusters identify marine-influenced regions which can be clearly separated from those determined by the geological catchment area and the ones dominated by river discharge.

Global distributions of diazotrophs Gamma-A nifH genes abundance - Depth integrated values computed from a collection of source datasets - Contribution to the MAREDAT World Ocean Atlas of Plankton Functional Types

The MAREDAT atlas covers 11 types of plankton, ranging in size from bacteria to jellyfish. Together, these plankton groups determine the health and productivity of the global ocean and play a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Working within a uniform and consistent spatial and depth grid (map) of the global ocean, the researchers compiled thousands and tens of thousands of data points to identify regions of plankton abundance and scarcity as well as areas of data abundance and scarcity. At many of the grid points, the MAREDAT team accomplished the difficult conversion from abundance (numbers of organisms) to biomass (carbon mass of organisms). The MAREDAT atlas provides an unprecedented global data set for ecological and biochemical analysis and modeling as well as a clear mandate for compiling additional existing data and for focusing future data gathering efforts on key groups in key areas of the ocean. The present data set presents depth integrated values of diazotrophs Gamma-A nifH genes abundance, computed from a collection of source data sets.

Global distributions of diazotrophs abundance, biomass and nitrogen fixation rates - Collection of source datasets - Contribution to the MAREDAT World Ocean Atlas of Plankton Functional Types

The MAREDAT atlas covers 11 types of plankton, ranging in size from bacteria to jellyfish. Together, these plankton groups determine the health and productivity of the global ocean and play a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Working within a uniform and consistent spatial and depth grid (map) of the global ocean, the researchers compiled thousands and tens of thousands of data points to identify regions of plankton abundance and scarcity as well as areas of data abundance and scarcity. At many of the grid points, the MAREDAT team accomplished the difficult conversion from abundance (numbers of organisms) to biomass (carbon mass of organisms). The MAREDAT atlas provides an unprecedented global data set for ecological and biochemical analysis and modeling as well as a clear mandate for compiling additional existing data and for focusing future data gathering efforts on key groups in key areas of the ocean. The present collection presents the original data sets used to compile Global distributions of diazotrophs abundance, biomass and nitrogen fixation rates

Global distributions of diazotrophs abundance and biomass - Depth integrated values computed from a collection of source datasets - Contribution to the MAREDAT World Ocean Atlas of Plankton Functional Types

The MAREDAT atlas covers 11 types of plankton, ranging in size from bacteria to jellyfish. Together, these plankton groups determine the health and productivity of the global ocean and play a vital role in the global carbon cycle. Working within a uniform and consistent spatial and depth grid (map) of the global ocean, the researchers compiled thousands and tens of thousands of data points to identify regions of plankton abundance and scarcity as well as areas of data abundance and scarcity. At many of the grid points, the MAREDAT team accomplished the difficult conversion from abundance (numbers of organisms) to biomass (carbon mass of organisms). The MAREDAT atlas provides an unprecedented global data set for ecological and biochemical analysis and modeling as well as a clear mandate for compiling additional existing data and for focusing future data gathering efforts on key groups in key areas of the ocean. The present data set presents depth integrated values of diazotrophs abundance and biomass, computed from a collection of source data sets.