Mesozooplankton, North Sea and Skagerrak 2006–2024

Sampling event
Latest version published on 22 April 2026
Publication date:
22 April 2026
Published by:
No organization
License:
CC-BY 4.0

Download the latest version of this resource data as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) or the resource metadata as EML or RTF:

Data as a DwC-A file download 1,346 records in English (629 KB) - Update frequency: unknown
Metadata as an EML file download in English (7 KB)
Metadata as an RTF file download in English (7 KB)

Description

This dataset provides data on mesozooplankton from the northern North Sea and Skagerrak 2005-2024, collected and analyzed by the Plankton Research Group at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway. The dataset includes information on taxa (species or higher taxonomic levels), life stages, and abundances of mesozooplankton 2005-2024. Three main transects (“Utsira–W”, “Hanstholm–Aberdeen”, and “Torungen–Hirtshals”) have been sampled approximately four times per year, in addition to larger-scale ecosystem surveys mainly conducted in spring (April to early May). Zooplankton data are also provided from three monitoring stations located along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast, sampled 1–2 times per month. Sampling has been conducted at predefined stations using a standard WP2 net (0.56 m opening diameter, 180 μm mesh size), towed vertically from near-bottom to the surface. Samples were preserved in formaldehyde and analyzed using a stereomicroscope for enumeration and species identification. Abundances are expressed as individuals per cubic meter (N/m³). The IMR North Sea monitoring activity is part of the IMR project “Climate and Plankton in the North Sea and Skagerrak,” funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries. The IMR coastal monitoring has been funded by the IMR Coastal Research Programme and the Norwegian Environment Agency. This dataset was submitted to OSPAR via ICES DOME for inclusion in the OSPAR Intermediate Assessment 2029 (IA 2029) in OSPAR Region II (Greater North Sea).

Data Records

The data in this sampling event resource has been published as a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A), which is a standardized format for sharing biodiversity data as a set of one or more data tables. The core data table contains 1,346 records.

2 extension data tables also exist. An extension record supplies extra information about a core record. The number of records in each extension data table is illustrated below.

Event (core)
1346
ExtendedMeasurementOrFact 
29763
Occurrence 
29763

This IPT archives the data and thus serves as the data repository. The data and resource metadata are available for download in the downloads section. The versions table lists other versions of the resource that have been made publicly available and allows tracking changes made to the resource over time.

Versions

The table below shows only published versions of the resource that are publicly accessible.

How to cite

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

Falkenhaug, T., Aguirre, G.E., Martinussen, M., Omli, L., Rønning, J., Franze, G. (2025) Mesozooplankton, North Sea and Skagerrak 2006–2024

Rights

Researchers should respect the following rights statement:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License.

GBIF Registration

This resource has not been registered with GBIF

Keywords

Samplingevent

Contacts

Tone Falkenhaug
  • Originator
  • Point Of Contact
Institute of Marine Research
NO
Arnfinn Morvik
  • Metadata Provider
  • User
Institute of Marine Research

Geographic Coverage

North Sea and Skagerrak

Bounding Coordinates South West [56.983, -1.666], North East [60.752, 10.826]

Temporal Coverage

Start Date / End Date 2006-01-16 / 2024-12-17

Additional Metadata

Alternative Identifiers https://ipttest.hi.no/resource?r=zoop