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.

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 contains results from the Antarctic Division BIOMASS Experiment II (ADBEX II) cruise of the Nella Dan. This is the third cruise of six, and follows the ADBEX I cruise made during late 1982. ADBEX II was to have been an international experiment, Second International BIOMASS Experiment I (SIBEX I), in cooperation with Japan, South Africa and France, however due to the delay of a supply program Australia's participation was cancelled. ADBEX II is the result of a reduced sampling program carried out during the resupply of Davis and Mawson stations. Surveys of krill and other zooplankton were taken off Antarctica in the Australian sector (Mawson to Davis region) and Prydz Bay in January 1984. Species identity and abundance data were obtained. The major species investigated were Euphausia superba, Euphausia frigidia, Euphausia crystallorophias and Thysanoessa marcuria. Other pteropods and cephalopods were also studied. Results from hydroacoustic surveys of krill biomass were also obtained, as well as CTD and chlorophyll data. Summary results are listed in the documentation.

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

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 1117 See the link below for public details on this project. ---- Public Summary from Project ---- The aim of this project is to determine how feasible it is to regularly sample the pelagic under-ice community during winter at a coastal site near Mawson. Very few attempts have been made to sample the water column under the ice during the winter months and the processes that occur during this period remain critical gaps in our knowledge of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. ------------------------------------- The pelagic community under the Mawson sea ice was sampled during the winter of 2001 using 'light trap' sampling devices. The 'light traps' were tested at various depths in a range of configurations to determine whether they were an appropriate instrument to sample the winter pelagic community under the ice. Fourteen successful deployments of the light traps were made on seven separate occasions from 12 June to 12 September 2001. The light traps were deployed at three different depths - the underside of the sea ice, mid water, and just above the sea floor. Two different light sources were used to attract the animals, namely fluorescent tubes and cyalume sticks. Two different configurations of the traps were tested to retain the animals inside the trap - one with plastic flaps to trap the animals, the other with no flaps, allowing the animals to move freely inside the trap. The light traps were deployed and retrieved during darkness to avoid any influence of ambient light. The objectives of the project were met and it is assessed that the pelagic community in winter can be effectively sampled using this methodology. A result of particular interest is the success of the traps in capturing Pleuragramma antarctica, a species which has proven difficult to capture using traditional sampling methods such as nets.

Metadata record AAS_4127_antFOCE_HardSubstrateFauna contains all data sets relating to the fauna sampled from hard substrates during the antFOCE experiment, including recruitment tiles, artificial substrate units and biofilm slides. Refer to antFOCE report section 4.5 for deployment, sampling and on-station analysis details. https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/AAS_4127_antFOCE_Project4127 Background The antFOCE experimental system was deployed in O’Brien Bay, approximately 5 kilometres south of Casey station, East Antarctica, in the austral summer of 2014/15. Surface and sub-surface (in water below the sea ice) infrastructure allowed controlled manipulation of seawater pH levels (reduced by 0.4 pH units below ambient) in 2 chambers placed on the sea floor over natural benthic communities. Two control chambers (no pH manipulation) and two open plots (no chambers, no pH manipulation) were also sampled to compare to the pH manipulated (acidified) treatment chambers. Details of the antFOCE experiment can be found in the report – “antFOCE 2014/15 – Experimental System, Deployment, Sampling and Analysis”. This report and a diagram indicating how the various antFOCE data sets relate to each other are available at: https://data.aad.gov.au/metadata/records/AAS_4127_antFOCE_Project4127

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.

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

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 results from the Antarctic Division Biomass Experiment (ADBEX I) cruise of the Nella Dan. This cruise is the second in a series of six cruises, and follows the First International BIOMASS Experiment (FIBEX) in early 1981, documentation of which can be found in ANARE Research Notes 7, or by searching the metadata records for FIBEX. ADBEX I operated between November and December 1982, and studied the distribution and abundance of krill (Euphausia superba). Surveys of krill and other zooplankton were taken off Antarctica in the Australian sector (Mawson to Davis region) and Prydz Bay. The major species investigated were Euphausia superba, Euphausia frigidia, Euphausia crystallorophias and Thysanoessa marcuria. Other pteropods and cephalopods were also studied. Physical and chemical oceanography data were also obtained at some stations, as well as phytoplankton samples. Summary results are listed in the documentation.