http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset/1003881
eng; USA
utf8
dataset
Highest level of data collection, from a common set of sensors or instrumentation, usually within the same research project
Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO)
Unavailable
508-289-2009
WHOI MS#36
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
info@bco-dmo.org
http://www.bco-dmo.org
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
For questions regarding this resource, please contact BCO-DMO via the email address provided.
pointOfContact
2026-08-06
ISO 19115-2 Geographic Information - Metadata - Part 2: Extensions for Imagery and Gridded Data
ISO 19115-2:2009(E)
Pyrosome fecal pellet production measurements collected from the cruise RR2105 on R/V Roger Revelle in the California Current Ecosystem from July to August 2021
2026-08-17
publication
2026-08-17
revision
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO)
2026-08-17
publication
https://doi.org/10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.1003881.1
Katherine Barbeau
University of California-San Diego Scripps
principalInvestigator
Moira Decima
University of California-San Diego Scripps
principalInvestigator
Natalia Llopis Monferrer
Université de Bretagne Occidentale
principalInvestigator
Stephanie Matthews
University of California-San Diego Scripps
principalInvestigator
Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO)
Unavailable
508-289-2009
WHOI MS#36
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
info@bco-dmo.org
http://www.bco-dmo.org
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
For questions regarding this resource, please contact BCO-DMO via the email address provided.
publisher
Cite this dataset as: Cawley, G., Decima, M., Barbeau, K., Matthews, S., Llopis Monferrer, N., Padilla Villa, M. (2026) Pyrosome fecal pellet production measurements collected from the cruise RR2105 on R/V Roger Revelle in the California Current Ecosystem from July to August 2021. Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). (Version 1) Version Date 2026-08-17 [if applicable, indicate subset used]. doi:10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.1003881.1 [access date]
P2107 Pyrosome Fecal Pellet Production Measurements Dataset Description: <p>Samples were collected on CCE-NSF process cruise (OCE-1637632, Project: California Current Ecosystem Long Term Ecological Research Site).&nbsp;</p> Methods and Sampling: <p>Pyrosome colonies for production and sinking experiments were collected from the upper 40 m of the water column using a vertically towed 202 µm net equipped with a 30 L non-filtering cod-end. Tows were preferentially conducted at night, as organisms exhibited distinct DVM behavior, which was possible during the Offshore cycle; however, for the transects we conducted, these tows were conducted whenever the ship arrived on station. For fecal pellet production experiments, colonies were gently transferred from the cod-end, ensuring that no air entered the common canal of the organism, and placed in an appropriately sized container (allowing the organisms to be submerged in typically ~500 mL, but we used containers of up to 1.5L for a handful of large specimens) filled with filtered 0.2 µm seawater for microscopic evaluation. Pellet production experiments were only conducted during the Offshore cycle and the two transects (CCT and AT), while fecal pellet sinking rate determinations were conducted during Onshore 2, Offshore, and one transect (CCT).</p>
<p>Fecal pellet production was measured following the methods described in Drits et al. (1992). Pyrosome colonies were transferred into containers filled with 0.2-µm-filtered seawater and placed under dissecting microscopes to visualize their common cloacal aperture. The number of fecal pellets produced was counted during continuous observations over 2 min. Initially, we observed colony defecation for 1 to 7 min while determining the count period length. Since we observed a noticeable decrease in production over time, beginning after the first ~2-3 minutes, as noted by Drits et al. (1992), we conducted counts for 2 min immediately after transferring the colonies into the observation container. Pellet counts were recorded cumulatively at each observation time point, with each time value representing elapsed observation time in minutes. Interval-specific pellet production was then calculated as the difference between consecutive cumulative counts. For example, the number of pellets produced between Time 1 and Time 2 was calculated by subtracting the cumulative pellet count at Time 1 from the cumulative count at Time 2. Therefore, pellet production values represent the number of pellets produced during each elapsed observation interval, rather than the total number present at each time point. After the production experiments were concluded, pellets were collected for sinking and aging experiments. A subsample of the produced pellets was allowed to sit in natural seawater for 24 and 48 hours and evaluated for sinking rates; these were referred to as ‘aged’ pellets.</p>
Funding provided by NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) Award Number: OCE-2329559 Award URL: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award?AWD_ID=2329559
Funding provided by NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE) Award Number: OCE-2224726 Award URL: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/show-award?AWD_ID=2224726
completed
Katherine Barbeau
University of California-San Diego Scripps
858-822-4339
9500 Gilman Drive Mail Code: 0218
La Jolla
CA
92093
USA
kbarbeau@ucsd.edu
pointOfContact
Moira Decima
University of California-San Diego Scripps
858-246-4710
9500 Gilman Dr #0218
La Jolla
CA
92093-0218
USA
mdecima@ucsd.edu
pointOfContact
Natalia Llopis Monferrer
Université de Bretagne Occidentale
nllopis@sb-roscoff.fr
pointOfContact
Stephanie Matthews
University of California-San Diego Scripps
samatt@uw.edu
pointOfContact
asNeeded
Dataset Version: 1
Unknown
Cycle
Date
Incubation
Pyrosome_number
Time_1
Pellets_1
Pellets_Per_Time_1
Time_2
Pellets_2
Pellets_Per_Time_2
Time_3
Pellets_3
Pellets_Per_Time_3
Time_4
Pellets_4
Pellets_Per_Time_4
Max_Pellets
pellets_per_hour_max
Min_Pellets
pellets_per_hour_min
Length_cm
Salp Net
theme
None, User defined
sample identification
date
time_elapsed
count_per_stage
count
rate_measurements
length
featureType
BCO-DMO Standard Parameters
Reeve Net
instrument
BCO-DMO Standard Instruments
RR2105
service
Deployment Activity
California Current System, Northeastern Pacific Ocean
place
Locations
otherRestrictions
otherRestrictions
Access Constraints: none. Use Constraints: Please follow guidelines at: http://www.bco-dmo.org/terms-use Distribution liability: Under no circumstances shall BCO-DMO be liable for any direct, incidental, special, consequential, indirect, or punitive damages that result from the use of, or the inability to use, the materials in this data submission. If you are dissatisfied with any materials in this data submission your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue use.
Collaborative Research: Assessing the causes of the pyrosome invasion and persistence in the California Current Ecosystem
https://osprey.bco-dmo.org/project/916814
Collaborative Research: Assessing the causes of the pyrosome invasion and persistence in the California Current Ecosystem
<p><em>NSF Award Abstract:</em><br />
A key component of the ocean food web is comprised of floating animals, or zooplankton, that transfer energy from phytoplankton to fish, whales, and birds. Zooplankton include many different types of organisms that can be broadly categorized as crustacean or gelatinous, with most fish and whales preferring crustaceans as a fat-rich food source over gelatinous animals, which are higher in water content. Historically, the California Current ecosystem off the U.S. West Coast has been dominated by crustacean zooplankton, such as krill and copepods, but in 2014 there were huge abundances of a type of colonial, gelatinous zooplankton known as pyrosomes, which caused widespread damage to fisheries by fouling fishing gear and dominating catch. Although the arrival of pyrosomes coincided with an extensive marine heatwave, lower abundances have since persisted despite a return to cooler ocean temperatures. Analysis of time series data from the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) indicate that pyrosomes were also observed in the California Current many decades ago when the ocean was not particularly warm. This study combines analysis of past samples from CalCOFI, ocean circulation models, and biological models to understand the causes of these quickly growing pyrosome populations in the California Current. It supports training for undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, the project is reaching K-12 students through a unique partnership with the San Diego County Office of Education that is developing Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned resources for middle and high school science teachers in California. The educational resources are being disseminated through the California Science Project and California Environmental Literacy Initiative. Public outreach in San Diego (CA) is through the Enhancing Your Horizons San Diego conference and the San Diego Regional Competition of the National Ocean Sciences Bowl, and in Santa Cruz (CA) through the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.</p>
<p>Predicting how ecosystems respond to accelerating climate change is a major challenge. The recent appearance of the pyrosome Pyrosoma atlanticum in the California Current is a major perturbation to the ecosystem, and the cause remains unknown. Both ocean physics and plankton food-web dynamics are key determinants of variability in pelagic community composition in this ecosystem, yet unraveling the degree to which variability in physics (through warming and advection) combines with shifting biological interactions (through nutrient cycling and altered food-web dynamics) to determine composition and function is complicated. This project combines the analysis of past historical samples from seven decades of the CalCOFI time series, data-assimilative and non-data assimilative ocean circulation models, and biological population models to determine the role ocean physics and biological interactions have played in shaping pyrosome abundance, trophic dynamics, and population growth and mortality in the California Current. This novel framework is providing mechanistic understanding that is required to predict how plankton communities respond to climate change.</p>
<p>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.</p>
Pyrosomes in the CCE
largerWorkCitation
project
eng; USA
oceans
California Current System, Northeastern Pacific Ocean
2026-08-17
California Current ecosystem off the U.S. West Coast
0
BCO-DMO catalogue of parameters from Pyrosome fecal pellet production measurements collected from the cruise RR2105 on R/V Roger Revelle in the California Current Ecosystem from July to August 2021
Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO)
Unavailable
508-289-2009
WHOI MS#36
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
info@bco-dmo.org
http://www.bco-dmo.org
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
For questions regarding this resource, please contact BCO-DMO via the email address provided.
pointOfContact
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004381.rdf
Name: Cycle
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Sampling cycle identifier</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004382.rdf
Name: Date
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Date of incubation experiment</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004383.rdf
Name: Incubation
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Incubation experiment identifier</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004384.rdf
Name: Pyrosome_number
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Specimen tracking identifier; ? indicates uncertain specimen identity but does not affect production measurements</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004385.rdf
Name: Time_1
Units: min (minutes)
Description: <p>Elapsed observation time at each cumulative pellet count</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004386.rdf
Name: Pellets_1
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Cumulative number of pellets produced up to each observation time</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004387.rdf
Name: Pellets_Per_Time_1
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Number of pellets produced during each observation interval ending at the corresponding time point</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004388.rdf
Name: Time_2
Units: min (minutes)
Description: <p>Elapsed observation time at each cumulative pellet count</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004389.rdf
Name: Pellets_2
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Cumulative number of pellets produced up to each observation time</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004390.rdf
Name: Pellets_Per_Time_2
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Number of pellets produced during each observation interval ending at the corresponding time point</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004391.rdf
Name: Time_3
Units: min (minutes)
Description: <p>Elapsed observation time at each cumulative pellet count</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004392.rdf
Name: Pellets_3
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Cumulative number of pellets produced up to each observation time</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004393.rdf
Name: Pellets_Per_Time_3
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Number of pellets produced during each observation interval ending at the corresponding time point</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004394.rdf
Name: Time_4
Units: min (minutes)
Description: <p>Elapsed observation time at each cumulative pellet count</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004395.rdf
Name: Pellets_4
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Cumulative number of pellets produced up to each observation time</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004396.rdf
Name: Pellets_Per_Time_4
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Number of pellets produced during each observation interval ending at the corresponding time point</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004397.rdf
Name: Max_Pellets
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Maximum number of pellets produced across intervals</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004398.rdf
Name: pellets_per_hour_max
Units: pellets per hour
Description: <p>Maximum hourly pellet production rate</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004399.rdf
Name: Min_Pellets
Units: unitless
Description: <p>Minimum number of pellets produced across intervals</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004400.rdf
Name: pellets_per_hour_min
Units: pellets per hour
Description: <p>Minimum hourly pellet production rate</p>
http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset-parameter/1004401.rdf
Name: Length_cm
Units: cm (centimeter)
Description: <p>Length of pyrosome specimen</p>
GB/NERC/BODC > British Oceanographic Data Centre, Natural Environment Research Council, United Kingdom
Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO)
Unavailable
508-289-2009
WHOI MS#36
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
info@bco-dmo.org
http://www.bco-dmo.org
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
For questions regarding this resource, please contact BCO-DMO via the email address provided.
pointOfContact
https://doi.org/10.26008/1912/bco-dmo.1003881.1
download
onLine
dataset
<p>Pyrosome colonies for production and sinking experiments were collected from the upper 40 m of the water column using a vertically towed 202 µm net equipped with a 30 L non-filtering cod-end. Tows were preferentially conducted at night, as organisms exhibited distinct DVM behavior, which was possible during the Offshore cycle; however, for the transects we conducted, these tows were conducted whenever the ship arrived on station. For fecal pellet production experiments, colonies were gently transferred from the cod-end, ensuring that no air entered the common canal of the organism, and placed in an appropriately sized container (allowing the organisms to be submerged in typically ~500 mL, but we used containers of up to 1.5L for a handful of large specimens) filled with filtered 0.2 µm seawater for microscopic evaluation. Pellet production experiments were only conducted during the Offshore cycle and the two transects (CCT and AT), while fecal pellet sinking rate determinations were conducted during Onshore 2, Offshore, and one transect (CCT).</p>
<p>Fecal pellet production was measured following the methods described in Drits et al. (1992). Pyrosome colonies were transferred into containers filled with 0.2-µm-filtered seawater and placed under dissecting microscopes to visualize their common cloacal aperture. The number of fecal pellets produced was counted during continuous observations over 2 min. Initially, we observed colony defecation for 1 to 7 min while determining the count period length. Since we observed a noticeable decrease in production over time, beginning after the first ~2-3 minutes, as noted by Drits et al. (1992), we conducted counts for 2 min immediately after transferring the colonies into the observation container. Pellet counts were recorded cumulatively at each observation time point, with each time value representing elapsed observation time in minutes. Interval-specific pellet production was then calculated as the difference between consecutive cumulative counts. For example, the number of pellets produced between Time 1 and Time 2 was calculated by subtracting the cumulative pellet count at Time 1 from the cumulative count at Time 2. Therefore, pellet production values represent the number of pellets produced during each elapsed observation interval, rather than the total number present at each time point. After the production experiments were concluded, pellets were collected for sinking and aging experiments. A subsample of the produced pellets was allowed to sit in natural seawater for 24 and 48 hours and evaluated for sinking rates; these were referred to as ‘aged’ pellets.</p>
Specified by the Principal Investigator(s)
<p>Max_Pellets is the value that represents the most pellets produced in one minute of the 1-7 minute production experiments. Min_pellets is the value that represents the least amount of pellets produced in one minute of the 1-7 minute production experiments. max and min pellets per hour are Max_pellet values or min_pellet value multiplied by 60 minutes.</p>
Specified by the Principal Investigator(s)
- Loaded Cawleyetal_2026_PelletProduction.csv with empty and "nd" values interpreted as missing data
- Renamed columns to remove spaces and use underscores
- Output table to 1003881_v1_productionmeasurements.csv
Specified by BCO-DMO Data Managers
asNeeded
7.x-1.1
Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO)
Unavailable
508-289-2009
WHOI MS#36
Woods Hole
MA
02543
USA
info@bco-dmo.org
http://www.bco-dmo.org
Monday - Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm
For questions regarding this resource, please contact BCO-DMO via the email address provided.
pointOfContact
Salp Net
Salp Net
PI Supplied Instrument Name: Salp Net PI Supplied Instrument Description:Reeve net (Salp Net) - 202 µm net equipped with a 30 L non-filtering cod-end Instrument Name: Reeve Net Instrument Short Name:Reeve Net Instrument Description: A Reeve Net is a conventional ring net with a very large acrylic cylindrical cod-end (30 liters) designed to collect fragile gelatinous animals. The net is lowered to a particular depth and then hauled slowly back to the surface (5-10 m/min). Reeve (1981) also described a double net system with no bridle and flotation at the net mouth that is attached to a roller mechanism that rides on a tow wire.
The roller system is locked in place by a pressure release device. Once below a set pressure, the roller
and nets are released and they float slowly up the wire, gently collecting the zooplankton, without being
influenced by the motion of the vessel and associated vertical wire movements. (from Wiebe and Benfield, 2003) Community Standard Description: http://vocab.nerc.ac.uk/collection/L22/current/NETT0147/
Cruise: RR2105
RR2105
R/V Roger Revelle
Community Standard Description
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
R/V Roger Revelle
vessel
RR2105
Michael R. Stukel
Florida State University
R/V Roger Revelle
Community Standard Description
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea
R/V Roger Revelle
vessel