Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 668 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstracts of some of the referenced papers: Body shrinkage may be one of the strategies that Antarctic krill use to cope with food scarcity, particularly during winter. Despite their demonstrated ability to shrink, there are only very limited data to determine how commonly shrinkage occurs in the wild. It has been previously shown that laboratory-shrunk krill tend to conserve the shape of the eye. This study examined whether the relationship between the eye diameter and body length could be used to detect whether krill had been shrinking. By tracking individuals over time and examining specimens sampled as groups, it was demonstrated that fed and starved krill are distinguishable by the relationship between the eye diameter and body length. The eye diameter of well-fed krill continued to increase as overall length increased. This created a distinction between fed and starved krill, while no separation was detected in terms of the body length to weight relationship. Eye growth of krill re-commenced with re-growth of krill following shrinkage although there was some time lag. It would take approximately 2 moult cycles of shrinkage at modest rates to significantly change the eye diameter to body length relationship between normal and shrunk krill. If krill starve for a prolonged period in the wild, and hence shrink, the eye diameter to body length relationship should be able to indicate this. This would be particularly noticeable at the end of winter. A series of experiments was carried out to examine the relationship between feeding, moulting, and fluoride content in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). Starvation increased the intermolt period in krill, but had no effect on the fluoride concentration of the moults produced. Addition of excess fluoride to the sea water had no direct effect on the intermoult period, the moult weight, or moult size. Additions of 6 micrograms per litre and 10 micrograms per litre fluoride raised the fluoride concentrations of the moults produced and the whole animals. The whole body fluoride content varied cyclically during the moult cycle, reaching a peak 6 days following ecdysis. Fluoride loss at ecdysis could largely be explained by the amount of this ion shed in the moult.

Percent-cover estimates from forward facing still-images collected during the benthic trawls of the 2007/08 CEAMARC voyage (raw data-set here: https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/CEAMARC_CASO_200708_V3_IMAGES). All fauna in the bottom third of each image was scored to the lowest taxonomic resolution possible. The images originate from 32 transects, but were split by their lon-lat-position within a spatial grid of environmental variables into 41 sites. This dataset contains: (1) - species/ morphotypes identified to the highest taxonomic resolution possible - broader taxonomic classification (phylum/class) - each species mobility, feeding-type and body-shape if possible - average abundances in percent-cover at each site (2) - the mean longitude of all images aggregated per site - the mean latitude of all images aggregated per site - the number of images scored per site

The dataset contains raster files (.grd) for food-availability and predicted distribution of suspension feeder abundances averaged across a five year time-period before (2005-2009) and after (2011-2016) the calving of the Mertz Glacier Tongue in 2010. The following data are included: - sinking, settling and horizontal flux of food-particles along the seafloor - suspension feeder abundances and standard deviation of the predicted distribution All data has been generated as part of the paper: Jansen et al. (2018) Mapping Antarctic suspension feeder abundances and seafloor-food availability, and modelling their change after a major glacier calving. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

This dataset is a document describing the Metazoan Zooplankton of the Southern Ocean. It lists all the known species and with illustrated diagrams provides a guide to their taxonomic identification. The document is available for download as a pdf from the provided URL.

This data were collected on the sixth Nella Dan voyage of a long term field survey project being conducted by the Australian Antarctic Division, to collect distribution, abundance and population structure data for the krill Euphausia superba in the Prydz Bay region, Antarctica. This voyage, the Australian Antarctic Marine Biological Ecosystem Research 1986/1987 (AAMBER 86/87) cruise, operated between February and April 1987. During March, a survey of the krill population and zooplankton community was conducted, to determine the late summer distribution and abundance of krill, especially the larvae. This was done as a follow up to SIBEX II in mid-summer (Janurary) 1985. The major species investigated were Euphausia superba, Euphausia frigidia, Euphausia crystallorophias and Thysanoessa marcuria. Phytoplankton pigment analysis was also conducted at each CTD station site.

This database provides the most comprehensive systematic list of mega-epibenthic assemblages in the Australian Economic Exclusive Zone (AEEZ) of Heard Island and McDonalds Islands (HIMI) at water depths between 168 and 970 m. Data were collected to better understand the types and distribution of benthic invertebrates, their vulnerability to bottom fishing, and the effectiveness of the HIMI Marine Protected Area (MPA) for representing and protecting the regions benthic biodiversity. A total 504 taxa from 14 phyla were collected from 129 stations throughout HIMI. Two methods, beam trawl (for non-complex flat terrains) and epibenthic sled (for more complex, rough terrains), were used to sample the megabenthos. Both the trawl and sled were fitted with a 1 cm-2 mesh cod-end with a net opening (height x width) of 2.7 x 1.2 m for the beam trawl and 1.2 x 0.6 m for the epibenthic sled. Samples were sorted into broad taxonomic groups onboard the sampling vessel then frozen for later analysis. In the laboratory, samples were sieved over a 1 cm mesh and all dead material removed. Megabenthos were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level by using the available literature and assistance of taxonomic specialists. All non-colonial taxa were counted and then weighed. Colonial taxa that could not be counted as individuals, e.g. demosponges and bryozoans, were separated to the lowest taxonomic level and a whole weight recorded per sample. Taxonomic expertise was provided by Dick Williams (Osteichthyes and Chondrichthyes) of the Australian Antarctic Division; Daphne Fautin and Andrea Crowther (Actinaria) of the University of Kansas; Cardin Wallace (Actinaria) from Queensland Museum; Elizabeth Turner (Bivalvia and Gastropoda) and Genefor Walker-Smith (Invertebrates) from the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery; Phillip Bock (Bryozoa), Mark Norman (Cephalopoda), Gary Poore (Crustacea), Joanne Taylor (Decapoda), Mark O'Loughlin (Holothuriodea), Jan Watson (Hydrozoa), Tim O'Hara (Ophiuroidea and Asteroidae), Robin Wilson (Polychaeta) and David Staples (Pycnogonida) of Museum Victoria; Igor Smirnov (Ophuroidea) of the University of Russia; and Andrew Hosie (Cirripedia) of the Western Australian Museum. A reference collection of the taxa is lodged at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania. On 2022-11-02 a minor data update was made to add scanned copies of old worksheets.

This dataset is intended for general use in spatial planning and management to identify areas where benthic marine assemblages are likely to differ from each other in the Southern Ocean. We achieve this by using a hierarchical spatial classification of ecoregions, bathomes and environmental types. Ecoregions are defined according to available data on biogeographic patterns and environmental drivers on dispersal. Bathomes are identified according to depth strata defined by species distributions. Environmental types are uniquely classified according to the geomorphic features found within the bathomes in each ecoregion. This circum-Antarctic map of environmental types can be used to support spatial management aimed at conserving benthic biodiversity across the entire Southern Ocean. The study area spans the region managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The northern boundary of this region is a line approximating the location of the Polar Front. The southern boundary was defined as the northern edge of the permanent ice shelf of the Antarctic continent. The shapefile can be used to identify three levels of the hierarchical classification (see Fig. 1 of Douglass et al., 2014): 1) Level 1: Ecoregions 2) Level 2b: Geomorphic features nested in each ecoregion 3) Level 3: Environmental Types The dataset cannot be used to analyse a level 2a nesting since for some geomorphic features (e.g. seamounts and canyons) the nested bathomes were combined when generating environmental types. If a level 2a nesting is required please contact douglass.lucinda@gmail.com The shapefile contains ten fields: EcoID- Abbreviated Level 1 benthic ecoregion names Ecoregion- Level 1 benthic ecoregion names Geomorph2- Geomorphic features BathID- Bathome identification number which can be used to sort the depth classes Bathome2 - Bathome EcoGeo- Level 2b nesting of geomorphic features in each ecoregion EnvTyp- Level 3 environmental types GeoClsID- Geomorphic class identification number GeoCls- Geomorphic classes Sqkm- Area in square kilometers

This bibliography is a selected list of scientific papers collected by scientists in the ACE-CRC's Antarctic Marine Ecosystem research programme.

This dataset contains hydroacoustic results from the First International Biomass Experiment (FIBEX) cruise of the Nella Dan. This cruise is the first in a series of six cruises, performing a long term survey of krill and other zooplankton distribution and abundance. FIBEX was an international project, done in co-operation with Japan, South Africa and France. Fourteen transects were made by Australia off Antarctica in the Australian sector (Mawson to Davis region) and Prydz Bay in January to March 1981, covering a survey area of 1.09x10^6 square kilometers. Quantitative and geographic krill distribution, abundance, mean and variance of the krill weight density, and total krill biomass were obtained. The standing stock of krill for the Prydz Bay region was calculated at the second workshop to be approximately 1.3 million tonnes, or 1.6 million tonnes if extrapolated over the survey area of the SIBEX II cruise. Temperature, nutrient and salinty data were also obtained, as well as trawl results. Summary results are listed in the documentation. A scanned copy of the acoustics log book from the voyage is available for download from the provided URL.

A meta-analysis was undertaken to examine the vulnerability of Antarctic marine biota occupying waters south of 60 degrees S to ocean acidification. Comprehensive database searches were conducted to compile all English language, peer-reviewed journals articles and literature reviews that investigated the effect of altered seawater carbonate chemistry on Southern Ocean and/or Antarctic marine organisms. A document detailing the methods used to collect these data is included in the download file.