Dataset: Biomass data from an Optical Plankton Counter (OPC) collected on R/V New Horizon, R/V Thomas G. Thompson, and R/V Roger Revelle cruises NH0005, NH0007, T0205, and R0208 in the Northeast Pacific from 2000-2002 (NEP project)

This dataset includes ALL the biomass values, zero and non-zero. OPC size classes are diplayed in the 'size_class' column, rather than in separate columns, with biomass for each class in the 'biomass' column. For the original presentation of the data, see opc_ccs_orig. For a version of the data with only non-zero data, see opc_ccs_nonzero. In the 'nonzero' dataset, values of 0 in the biomass column have been removed. 

U.S. GLOBEC Northeast Pacific California Current Program
Optical Plankton Counter (OPC) Data

Contact for this dataset is:
Meng Zhou
Dept. of Environmental, Coastal and Ocean Sciences
University of Massachusetts-Boston
Boston, MA 02125
Email: meng.zhou@umb.edu
Phone: 617-287-7419; Lab: 617-287-6186
FAX: 617-287-7474

This project addresses one of 3 central hypotheses of the U.S. GLOBEC Northeast Pacific (NEP) Study:

Spatial and temporal variability in mesoscale circulation constitutes the dominant physical forcing on zooplankton biomass, production, distribution, species interactions and retention and loss in coastal regions.(U.S. GLOBEC Northeast Pacific Implementation Plan, U.S. GLOBEC Report No. 17).

References:
Rodriguez, J. and M. M. Mullin. 1986. Relation between biomass and body weight of plankton in a steady state oceanic ecosystem. Limnol. Oceanogr., 31, 361-370.
Zhou, M. and M. E. Huntley. 1997. Population dynamics theory of plankton based on biomass spectra. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser., 157, 61-73.
Zhou, M. and K. S. Tande. 2002. Optical Plankton Counter workshop report. International Global Ocean Ecosystems Dynamics Program Report, No. 17, 67 pp.

For more Information about these data contact Dr. Zhou.

Last modified: June 29, 2006