ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tows during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011 and R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the northeast Pacific in 2012 and imaged in 2021-2022

Website: https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/865757
Data Type: Cruise Results
Version: 1
Version Date: 2021-12-03

Project
» Horizontal and Vertical Distribution of Thecosome Pteropods in Relation to Carbonate Chemistry in the Northwest Atlantic and Northeast Pacific (OAPS)
» Collaborative Research: Diel physiological rhythms in a tropical oceanic copepod (Zooplankton Diel Rhythm)
» Quantifying the drivers of midwater zooplankton community structure (Zooplankton Gradients)

Programs
» Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability NSF-Wide Investment (SEES): Ocean Acidification (formerly CRI-OA) (SEES-OA)
» Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB)
ContributorsAffiliationRole
Blanco-Bercial, LeocadioBermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)Principal Investigator
Maas, AmyBermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)Co-Principal Investigator
Gossner, HannahBermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS)Technician
York, Amber D.Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI BCO-DMO)BCO-DMO Data Manager

Abstract
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tows during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the Northwestern Atlantic in 2011 and R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the Northeastern Pacific in 2012. Day and night stations were sampled between 0 to 1000m depths from 35 to 50 N in the northwest Atlantic in 2011, and from 35 and 50N along CLIVAR line P17N in 2012. Some chaetognaths and all pteropods were removed prior to imaging in association with the original OAPS and ancillary projects. A representative subsample of the formalin-preserved zooplankton community from each net were imaged in 2021 and 2022.


Coverage

Spatial Extent: N:50.0913 E:-41.7813 S:33.5052 W:-144.737
Temporal Extent: 2011-08-13 - 2012-09-14

Methods & Sampling

Location:  35 and 50 degrees North in the northwest Atlantic and northeast Pacific

Methodology: To obtain samples, a 1 m Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System  (MOCNESS; Wiebe et al., 1985) equipped with 150 m nets was deployed during the mid-day and mid-night on cruises carried out as described in  https://www.bco-dmo.org/dataset/3546 . Briefly, sampling was at consistent intervals including 1000-800, 800-600, 600-400, 400-200, 200-100, 100-50, 50-25, 25-0m at day/night stations from 35 to 50 N in the northwest Atlantic in 2011, and from 35 and 50N along CLIVAR line P17N  in 2012.

Upon retrieval, the catch from each of the eight discrete nets were divided into splits. One-half of a sample was preserved in 95% ethanol,  was preserved in 5% buffered formalin, and was used for live viewing and picking, and then preserved in 70% ethanol.

A representative subsample of the formalin-preserved zooplankton community from each net were imaged using a ZooSCAN ver. 3 at 4,800 dpi (following the methods in: Gorsky et al., 2010, Vandromme et al., 2012 as detailed in Maas et al. 2021). In order to better represent all size classes in the images, the original sample was divided into three size categories. All individuals larger than 2 cm were selected by eye and scanned separately from all the others. The remainder of the sample was sieved through a 1-mm mesh sieve, and both size fractions were individually scanned. From these smaller size fractions, at least 1500 particles were scanned after subsampling using a Motoda splitter (Motoda, 1959), requiring generation of two separate scans for both size classes. This resulted in a total of five images per net.

Image names

Image names include:
cruise#_mocnessID_net#_sizefraction_ and _a|b if a replicate and end in _1.tif

Multiple images of the same size fraction were sometimes taken to obtain a sufficient number of particles. These replicates are named a or b. If there is no replicate they don’t have a letter in the image name. An a and b scan were always done for size classes d2 and d3.  This was important because the split size is for the sum of a+b (e.g. if a is ¼ and b is ¼, the acq_sub_part will be 0.5).

Example of image names:

ae1830_m13_n4_d3_a_1.tif  [a replicate]
ae1830_m13_n4_d3_b_1.tif  
[a replicate]
ae1830_m13_n5_d1_1.tif      [no replicate]

Related Datasets may contain the "object_id" (the particle/organism id) which is constructed the same way as the image name except it as an additional _# at the end.  This additional number in the object_id is added by the Zooprocess software (Hydroptic, 2016).
e.g.
object_id:       ae1614_m3_n1_d2_a_1_100
image_name: ae1614_m3_n1_d2_a_1.tif

Problem report: None


Data Processing Description

BCO-DMO Data Manager Processing Notes (Version 1):
* Images bundled for download in the Data Files section in .tar.gz bundles.
* Image access removed and restricted upon request.  Previous links to the .tar.gz bundles will show "Internal Server Error".  Access will be restored upon the release date.
* date format in image metadata file changed from %m/%d/%y (e.g. 9/2/12) to ISO 8601 format (e.g. 2012-09-02)


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Data Files

File
ZooSCAN images Cruise NH1208 (mocness_id: m10)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_nh1208_m10.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 60.37 GB)
MD5:c53491fc8c3091aca6be1c62b812ad2a
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m10 during R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the northeast Pacific in 2012. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise NH1208 (mocness_id: m25)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_nh1208_m25.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 63.71 GB)
MD5:de1f96c27f018b4603a924f6600af4ee
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m25 during R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the northeast Pacific in 2012. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise NH1208 (mocness_id: m26)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_nh1208_m26.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 63.63 GB)
MD5:7253421aff344247be796b72ca4e9705
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m26 during R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the northeast Pacific in 2012. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise NH1208 (mocness_id: m7)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_nh1208_m7.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 66.88 GB)
MD5:15b34e99c79c9d641819d0fad75e3d05
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m7 during R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the northeast Pacific in 2012. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise NH1208 (mocness_id: m8)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_nh1208_m8.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 66.96 GB)
MD5:89740f34a215357b852ba949bc6740f5
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m8 during R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the northeast Pacific in 2012. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise NH1208 (mocness_id: m9)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_nh1208_m9.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 67.17 GB)
MD5:51e4270a5290ad68277a5c78b4f77f8a
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m9 during R/V New Horizon cruise NH1208 in the northeast Pacific in 2012. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m12)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m12.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 67.25 GB)
MD5:2c965a71b4c49af1034b03ca3c6be460
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m12 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m13)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m13.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 67.18 GB)
MD5:448576f70a9df00c09e58aa030cb06c9
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m13 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m16)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m16.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 67.27 GB)
MD5:725ab4c7ca4ff4d845aa5556f1f71426
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m16 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m17)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m17.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 67.25 GB)
MD5:a2475c9dd11aad71e197fede2741af09
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m17 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m4)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m4.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 66.82 GB)
MD5:defab1e9615515284ae4c19621f61c01
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m4 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m5)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m5.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 58.52 GB)
MD5:75a8c397d7814f2bff033111f0f7b3d0
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m5 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m6)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m6.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 66.70 GB)
MD5:84ee747c3aef33a7848797c4c38bff0f
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m6 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.
ZooSCAN images Cruise OC473 (mocness_id: m7)
filename: ZooSCAN_Images_OAPS_oc473_m7.tar.gz
(GZIP (.gz), 66.88 GB)
MD5:12358c6d1e996db524eebce54e820ada
ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected during OAPS MOCNESS tow m7 during R/V Oceanus cruise OC473 in the northwest Atlantic in 2011. Images from this tow were bundled and compressed in a tar.gz file bundle.

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Related Publications

Gorsky, G., Ohman, M. D., Picheral, M., Gasparini, S., Stemmann, L., Romagnan, J.-B., … Prejger, F. (2010). Digital zooplankton image analysis using the ZooScan integrated system. Journal of Plankton Research, 32(3), 285–303. doi:10.1093/plankt/fbp124
Methods
Hydroptic (2016). ZooSCAN. Available at http://www.hydroptic.com/index.php/public/Page/product_item/ZOOSCAN. Accessed June 17th, 2021.
Methods
Maas, A. E., Gossner, H., Smith, M. J., & Blanco-Bercial, L. (2021). Use of optical imaging datasets to assess biogeochemical contributions of the mesozooplankton. Journal of Plankton Research, 43(3), 475–491. doi:10.1093/plankt/fbab037
Methods
Motoda, S. (1959) Devices of simple plankton apparatus. Memoirs of the Faculty of Fisheries Hokkaido University, 7, 73-94. Available from http://hdl.handle.net/2115/21829.
Methods
Picheral M, Colin S, Irisson J-O (2017). EcoTaxa, a tool for the taxonomic classification of images. http://ecotaxa.obs-vlfr.fr
Methods
Vandromme, P., Stemmann, L., Garcìa-Comas, C., Berline, L., Sun, X., & Gorsky, G. (2012). Assessing biases in computing size spectra of automatically classified zooplankton from imaging systems: A case study with the ZooScan integrated system. Methods in Oceanography, 1-2, 3–21. doi:10.1016/j.mio.2012.06.001
Methods
Wiebe, P. H., Morton, A. W., Bradley, A. M., Backus, R. H., Craddock, J. E., Barber, V., … Flierl, G. R. (1985). New development in the MOCNESS, an apparatus for sampling zooplankton and micronekton. Marine Biology, 87(3), 313–323. doi:10.1007/bf00397811 https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00397811
Methods

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Related Datasets

References
Lawson, G., Wiebe, P. H. (2011) MOCNESS logs from R/V Oceanus, R/V New Horizon OC473, NH1208 in the western North Atlantic, transect between 35 and 50N along CLIVAR line P17N from 2011-2012 (OAPS project). Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO). Version Date 2011-09-27 http://lod.bco-dmo.org/id/dataset/3546 [view at BCO-DMO]
Relationship Description: Same methodology used.

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Parameters

Parameters for this dataset have not yet been identified


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Instruments

Dataset-specific Instrument Name
1m MOCNESS
Generic Instrument Name
MOCNESS
Generic Instrument Description
The Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System or MOCNESS is a family of net systems based on the Tucker Trawl principle. There are currently 8 different sizes of MOCNESS in existence which are designed for capture of different size ranges of zooplankton and micro-nekton Each system is designated according to the size of the net mouth opening and in two cases, the number of nets it carries. The original MOCNESS (Wiebe et al, 1976) was a redesigned and improved version of a system described by Frost and McCrone (1974).(from MOCNESS manual) This designation is used when the specific type of MOCNESS (number and size of nets) was not specified by the contributing investigator.

Dataset-specific Instrument Name
ZooSCAN ver. 3
Generic Instrument Name
ZooSCAN
Dataset-specific Description
Generic Instrument Description
Description excerpt from Hydroptic website http://www.hydroptic.com/index.php/public/Page/product_item/ZOOSCAN The ZooSCAN (CNRS patent) system makes use of scanner technology with custom lighting and a watertight scanning chamber into which liquid zooplankton samples can be placed. The scanner recovers a high-resolution, digitial image and the sample can be recovered without damage.  These digital images can then be investigated by computer processing. While the resolution of the digitized zooplankton images is lower than the image obtained using a binocular microscope this technique has proved to be more than adequate for large sample sets. Identification of species is done by automatic comparison of the image (vignette) of each individual animal in the scanned image with a library data set which may be built by the investigator for each individual survey or imported from a previous survey. The latest machine learning algorithm allows high recognition levels even if we recommend complementary manual sorting to achieve a high number of taxonomic groups.


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Deployments

OC473

Website
Platform
R/V Oceanus
Report
Start Date
2011-08-07
End Date
2011-09-01
Description
The primary objective of the proposed research is to quantify the distribution, abundance, species composition, shell condition, and vertical migratory behavior of oceanic thecosome pteropods in the northwest Atlantic and northeast Pacific, and correlate these quantities to hydrography and concurrent measurements of carbonate chemistry, including vertical and horizontal distributions of aragonite saturation. During OC473, the first cruise in the Atlantic, a  combination of underway data collection and station activities will be conducted along a transect spanning 15 degrees of latitude (35° to 50° N) in the northwest Atlantic, employing six instrument packages: (1) a 1-m2 MOCNESS plankton net system; (2) a profiling Video Plankton Recorder / CTD package, including bottles for water sampling; (3) a deep (500m) towed broadband acoustic scattering system ; 94) a hull-mounted narrowband multi-frequency acoustic scattering system. It is possible that the hull mounted transducers will suffer from noise when the vessel is underway and so as a backup we will have a surface-towed sled with a backup complement of transducers; 5) an underway multi-parameter inorganic carbon analyzer and 6) a suite of chemistry-related instruments including a DIC auto-analyzer for discret bottle sample analysis, an alkalinity auto-titrator for bottle analysis and an Agilent spectrophotometer for discrete pH measurement. Supporting documentation:Cruise track image Cruise information and original data are available from the NSF R2R data catalog.

NH1208

Website
Platform
R/V New Horizon
Report
Start Date
2012-08-09
End Date
2012-09-18
Description
The primary objective of this cruise was to quantify the distribution, abundance, species composition, shell condition, and vertical migratory behavior of oceanic thecosome pteropods in the northeast Pacific, and correlate these quantities to concurrent measurements of carbonate chemistry. Underway data collection and station activities were conducted on a transect running between 35 and 50N along CLIVAR line P17N. Six instrument types were used: (1) a 1-m2 MOCNESS plankton net system and a 1-m diameter Reeve net; (2) a profiling Video Plankton Recorder mounted on the CTD package that includes a Rosette system with Niskin bottles for water sampling; (3) a deep (500 meter) towed broadband acoustic scattering system; (4) a surface narrowband multi-frequency acoustic scattering system; (5) an underway multi-parameter inorganic carbon analyzer and a GO underway pCO2 system; and (6) a suite of chemistry-related lab instruments for bottle sample analysis including a DIC auto-analyzer, an alkalinity auto-titrator, and an Agilent spectrophotometer for pH measurement. The R/V New Horizon departed from Newport OR, and set a course for the transect start point at 50N 150W. Following instrument package test deployments over the continental shelf, the transect ran in a single zig-zag between the start point and the end at 35N 135W; a total of 34 stations were sampled along the transect, every 1/2 degree of latitude. In addition 10 other stations were sampled with a Reeve net for live experimental pteropods.  The science party, divided into biology and chemistry teams conducted 24-hour operations. Cruise information and original data are available from the NSF R2R data catalog.


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Project Information

Horizontal and Vertical Distribution of Thecosome Pteropods in Relation to Carbonate Chemistry in the Northwest Atlantic and Northeast Pacific (OAPS)

Coverage: 35 and 50 degrees North in the northwest Atlantic and northeast Pacific


Modified version of the NSF award abstract:
The impact of ocean acidification on marine ecosystems represents a vital question facing both marine scientists and managers of ocean resources. Thecosome pteropods are a group of calcareous planktonic molluscs widely distributed in coastal and open ocean pelagic ecosystems of the world¡¦s oceans. These animals secrete an aragonite shell, and thus are highly sensitive to ocean acidification due to the water column's changing carbonate chemistry, and particularly the shoaling of the aragonite compensation depth at which seawater becomes corrosive to aragonite. In many regions, however, relatively little is known about the abundance, distribution, vertical migratory behavior, and ecological importance of pteropods. Assessing the likely ecosystem consequences of changes in pteropod dynamics resulting from ocean acidification will require a detailed understanding of pteropod distribution and abundance relative to changing aragonite saturation in the water column.

The primary objective of this project is to quantify the distribution, abundance, species composition, shell condition, and vertical migratory behavior of oceanic thecosome pteropods in the northwest Atlantic and northeast Pacific, and correlate these quantities to hydrography and concurrent measurements of carbonate chemistry, including vertical and horizontal distributions of aragonite saturation. In particular, the project will capitalize on present-day variability in the depth distribution of aragonite saturation levels within and between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as a "natural experiment" to address the hypotheses that pteropod vertical distribution, species composition, and abundance vary as the compensation depth becomes shallower. Secondary objectives are to develop acoustic protocols for the remote quantification of pteropod abundance for future integration into ocean acidification monitoring networks, and to characterize carbonate chemistry and nutrients along portions of two WOCE/CLIVAR Repeat Hydrography transects (A20 in the Atlantic and P17N in the Pacific) to identify decadal-scale changes in the carbonate system. These hypotheses and objectives will be addressed through two cruises along survey transects between 35 and 50 degrees North in the northwest Atlantic and northeast Pacific involving a combination of station-work and underway measurements, and a comprehensive array of instruments, including acoustic, optical, towed net, hydrographic, and carbonate chemistry sensors and sampling systems.

This highly inter-disciplinary project, combines expertise in zooplankton ecology, acoustics, and marine chemistry. The proposed work will result in a detailed baseline understanding of variability in the horizontal and vertical distribution, as well as species composition, of thecosome pteropods in the northwest Atlantic and northeast Pacific, making a key contribution to zooplankton ecology generally. In addition, by quantifying the response to current spatial variability within and between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the project will provide important information on the likely response of pteropod distribution to future changes in the vertical distribution of aragonite saturation levels, a necessary component in modeling the impacts of ocean acidification on marine ecosystem function, services, and resources.

Ocean acidification is increasingly appreciated as an urgent societal concern. Thecosome pteropods are key prey for a variety of commercially-exploited fish species, and the improved understanding the PIs seek of pteropod distribution and likely response to changing water column carbonate chemistry will have important implications for our understanding of potential effects of ocean acidification on marine resources.
 


Collaborative Research: Diel physiological rhythms in a tropical oceanic copepod (Zooplankton Diel Rhythm)

Coverage: Bermuda


NSF Award Abstract:
The daily vertical migration (DMV) of zooplankton and fish across hundreds of meters between shallow and deep waters is a predominant pattern in pelagic ecosystems. This migration has consequences for biogeochemical cycling as it moves a substantial portion of fixed carbon and nitrogen (an estimated 15 to 40 % of the total global organic export) from the surface directly to depth where it feeds the midwater food chain and sequesters nutrients away from atmospheric mixing. Estimates and predictions of these fluxes are, however, poorly understood at present. New observations have shown that one source of uncertainty is due to the assumption that metabolic rates and processes do not vary over the course of the day, except based on changes in temperature and oxygen availability. Rates are, however, also driven by differences in feeding, swimming behavior, and underlying circadian cycles. The objective of this project is to improve the ability of scientists to understand and predict zooplankton contributions to the movement of carbon and nitrogen in the ocean by detailing daily changes in physiological processes of these organisms. By producing a set of respiration and excretion measurements over a daily time series, paired with simultaneously collected gene and protein expression patterns for an abundant vertically migratory species, the investigators will provide unprecedented and predictive insight into how changes in the environment affect the contribution of zooplankton to biogeochemical fluxes. The sampling design of the project will advance discovery and understanding by providing hands-on training opportunities to at least two undergraduate researchers. The project will broaden dissemination of the research via development of an educational module, focusing on rhythms in the ocean. The module will initially be piloted with the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) summer camp students and then disseminated through the BIOS Explorer program, the Teacher Resources Page on the BIOS website, and published in a peer-reviewed educational journal.

This project will characterize the metabolic consequences of daily physiological rhythms and DVM for a model zooplankton species, the abundant subtropical copepod Pleuromamma xiphias. Flux processes (oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, production of ammonium and fecal pellet production) will be interrogated using directed experiments testing the effects of temperature, feeding and circadian cycle. Circadian cycling will further be examined using transcriptomic and proteomic profiling. These experiments will be related to field samples taken at 6-h intervals over the course of the diel migration using an integrated suite of molecular and organismal metrics. Combined organismal, transcriptomic and proteomic profiles will provide an understanding of which metabolic pathways and associated flux products vary in relation to particular environmental variables (food, light cycle, temperature). Diel variation in metabolic rates will also be assessed across seasons and species using other important migratory groups (pteropod, euphausiid, and another copepod). The metabolic data will then be contextualized with abundance estimates from archived depth-stratified tows to allow scaling to community-level patterns and will be used to improve calculations of zooplankton contribution to particulate organic carbon, nitrogen and respiratory active flux. The results of this study will both improve our flux estimates and provide predictive insight into how various environmental variables influence the underlying physiological pathways generating carbon and nitrogen flux.

Cruise reports are available from the completed cruises:
SD031019
AE1910
AE1918


Quantifying the drivers of midwater zooplankton community structure (Zooplankton Gradients)


Coverage: North Atlantic and North Pacific


NSF Award Abstract: 

Processes in the midwater region below 200 m depth, also known as the twilight zone, represent a major unknown for the biology and chemistry of the ocean. Studies of animals drifting in the oceans, known as zooplankton, are scarce due to the difficulty and associated time and costs of sampling deep waters. The advent of automated image analysis and genetic tools is leading to a rapid increase in our knowledge of the diversity, abundances and size distribution of communities in shallow waters. However, our understanding of the deeper layers of the ocean is still in its infancy, and there are few studies that combine these three facets of the ecology of the zooplankton. The objective of this project is to leverage existing samples, obtained from previously NSF-funded research in the North Pacific and North Atlantic, to study how the abundances, diversity, and size distribution of zooplankton in the midwater vary with latitude and environmental factors. Automated image analyses provide information on abundance and size, and genetic analyses give unprecedented data on the diversity of the midwater community for the North Atlantic and the North Pacific, from subtropical to subarctic environments. This project provides high quality hands-on training opportunities for at least two undergraduate researchers and generates material for undergraduate and graduate courses. Two workshops train educators on the classroom use of the NSF-funded Biological and Chemical Oceanography Data Management Office (BCO-DMO) open access oceanographic data.

Recent advances in image analysis and metabarcoding of zooplankton communities via new data tools are an opportunity to generate quantitative and predictive relationships between environmental drivers and zooplankton diversity, abundances and size distribution. While this information is available for plankton in epipelagic regions, the focus of this study is on midwater communities, which remain poorly characterized. Obtaining these data is the first step towards a quantitative analysis that assesses the impact of the midwater community on biogeochemical cycles. The project uses archived samples from two cruises conducted in the N. Atlantic and N. Pacific to test hypotheses about how temperature, midwater hypoxia, primary productivity and biogeographic province shape the size class structure, biodiversity and behavior (diurnal vertical migration) of zooplankton communities. These newly-generated image and metabarcoding datasets of the mesozooplankton community from 0-1000 m are cross-comparable with other ocean regions. These data describe how migratory and midwater resident zooplankton communities are structured by environmental variables and demonstrate how this influences their biogeochemical contributions (specifically active flux and midwater attenuation of flux). Data tools generated for the image analysis in combination with metabarcoding has broad application in plankton ecology and allows metanalysis of other datasets. The project is complementary to ongoing national and international projects that seek to describe the function and structure of the midwater. In contrast to existing modeling and process projects, this project covers a moderately large geographic area and thus provides a strong comparative foundation for broader community-wide assessment of the function of zooplankton in the twilight zone.

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.



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Program Information

Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability NSF-Wide Investment (SEES): Ocean Acidification (formerly CRI-OA) (SEES-OA)


Coverage: global


NSF Climate Research Investment (CRI) activities that were initiated in 2010 are now included under Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability NSF-Wide Investment (SEES). SEES is a portfolio of activities that highlights NSF's unique role in helping society address the challenge(s) of achieving sustainability. Detailed information about the SEES program is available from NSF (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504707).

In recognition of the need for basic research concerning the nature, extent and impact of ocean acidification on oceanic environments in the past, present and future, the goal of the SEES: OA program is to understand (a) the chemistry and physical chemistry of ocean acidification; (b) how ocean acidification interacts with processes at the organismal level; and (c) how the earth system history informs our understanding of the effects of ocean acidification on the present day and future ocean.

Solicitations issued under this program:
NSF 10-530, FY 2010-FY2011
NSF 12-500, FY 2012
NSF 12-600, FY 2013
NSF 13-586, FY 2014
NSF 13-586 was the final solicitation that will be released for this program.

PI Meetings:
1st U.S. Ocean Acidification PI Meeting(March 22-24, 2011, Woods Hole, MA)
2nd U.S. Ocean Acidification PI Meeting(Sept. 18-20, 2013, Washington, DC)
3rd U.S. Ocean Acidification PI Meeting (June 9-11, 2015, Woods Hole, MA – Tentative)

NSF media releases for the Ocean Acidification Program:

Press Release 10-186 NSF Awards Grants to Study Effects of Ocean Acidification

Discovery Blue Mussels "Hang On" Along Rocky Shores: For How Long?

Discovery nsf.gov - National Science Foundation (NSF) Discoveries - Trouble in Paradise: Ocean Acidification This Way Comes - US National Science Foundation (NSF)

Press Release 12-179 nsf.gov - National Science Foundation (NSF) News - Ocean Acidification: Finding New Answers Through National Science Foundation Research Grants - US National Science Foundation (NSF)

Press Release 13-102 World Oceans Month Brings Mixed News for Oysters

Press Release 13-108 nsf.gov - National Science Foundation (NSF) News - Natural Underwater Springs Show How Coral Reefs Respond to Ocean Acidification - US National Science Foundation (NSF)

Press Release 13-148 Ocean acidification: Making new discoveries through National Science Foundation research grants

Press Release 13-148 - Video nsf.gov - News - Video - NSF Ocean Sciences Division Director David Conover answers questions about ocean acidification. - US National Science Foundation (NSF)

Press Release 14-010 nsf.gov - National Science Foundation (NSF) News - Palau's coral reefs surprisingly resistant to ocean acidification - US National Science Foundation (NSF)

Press Release 14-116 nsf.gov - National Science Foundation (NSF) News - Ocean Acidification: NSF awards $11.4 million in new grants to study effects on marine ecosystems - US National Science Foundation (NSF)


Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB)


Coverage: Global


The Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry (OCB) program focuses on the ocean's role as a component of the global Earth system, bringing together research in geochemistry, ocean physics, and ecology that inform on and advance our understanding of ocean biogeochemistry. The overall program goals are to promote, plan, and coordinate collaborative, multidisciplinary research opportunities within the U.S. research community and with international partners. Important OCB-related activities currently include: the Ocean Carbon and Climate Change (OCCC) and the North American Carbon Program (NACP); U.S. contributions to IMBER, SOLAS, CARBOOCEAN; and numerous U.S. single-investigator and medium-size research projects funded by U.S. federal agencies including NASA, NOAA, and NSF.

The scientific mission of OCB is to study the evolving role of the ocean in the global carbon cycle, in the face of environmental variability and change through studies of marine biogeochemical cycles and associated ecosystems.

The overarching OCB science themes include improved understanding and prediction of: 1) oceanic uptake and release of atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases and 2) environmental sensitivities of biogeochemical cycles, marine ecosystems, and interactions between the two.

The OCB Research Priorities (updated January 2012) include: ocean acidification; terrestrial/coastal carbon fluxes and exchanges; climate sensitivities of and change in ecosystem structure and associated impacts on biogeochemical cycles; mesopelagic ecological and biogeochemical interactions; benthic-pelagic feedbacks on biogeochemical cycles; ocean carbon uptake and storage; and expanding low-oxygen conditions in the coastal and open oceans.



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Funding

Funding SourceAward
NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE)
NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE)
NSF Division of Ocean Sciences (NSF OCE)

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