A systematic study of zooplankton-based indices of marine ecological change and water quality: Application to the European marine strategy framework Directive (MSFD)

Marine zooplankton are central components of holistic ecosystem assessments due to their intermediary role in the food chain, linking the base of the food chain with higher trophic levels. As a result, these organisms incorporate the inherent properties and changes occurring atall levels of the marine ecosystem, temporally integrating signatures of physical and chemical conditions. For this reason, zooplankton-based biometrics are widely accepted as useful tools for assessing and monitoring the ecological health and integrity of aquatic systems. The European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (EU-MSFD) requires the use of different types of bio-monitors, including zooplankton, to monitor progress towards achieving specific environmental and water quality targets in EU. However, there is currently no comprehensive synthesis of zooplankton indices development, use, and associated challenges. We addressed this issue with a two-step approach. First, we formulated the indicator-metrics-indices cycle (IMIC) to redefine the closely related but often ambiguously utilized terms - indicator, metric and index, highlighting the convergence between them and the iterative nature of their interaction. Secondly, we formulated frameworks for synthesizing, presenting and systematically applying zooplankton indices based on the IMIC framework. The main benefits of the IMIC are twofold: 1). to disambiguate the key elements: indicators, metrics, and indices, revealing their links to an operational ecological indicator system, and 2) to serve as an organizing tool for the coherent classification of indices according to the MSFD descriptors. Using the IMIC framework, we identified and described two broad categories of indices namely the core biodiversity indices already in use in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic regions, including the ‘Zooplankton Mean Size and Total Stock (zooplankton MSTS)’ and 'Plankton Lifeforms index (PLI)', and stressor-response indices retrieved from the existing literature, elucidating their applicability to different MSFD descriptors. Finally, major challenges of developing new indices and applying existing ones in the context of the MSFD were critically addressed and some solutions were proposed

Master track of HEINCKE cruise HE612/1 in 1 sec resolution (zipped, 1.0 MB)

Raw data acquired by position sensors on board RV Heincke during expedition HE612/1 were processed to receive a validated master track which can be used as reference of further expedition data. During HE612/1 the inertial navigation system IXSEA PHINS III and the GPS receivers Trimble Marine SPS461 and SAAB R5 SUPREME NAV were used as navigation sensors. Data were downloaded from DAVIS SHIP data base (https://dship.awi.de) with a resolution of 1 sec. Processed data are provided as a master track with 1 sec resolution derived from the position sensors' data selected by priority and a generalized track with a reduced set of the most significant positions of the master track

Master tracks in different resolutions of HEINCKE cruise HE612/1, Helgoland - Helgoland, 2023-02-07 - 2023-02-09

Raw data acquired by position sensors on board RV Heincke during expedition HE612/1 were processed to receive a validated master track which can be used as reference of further expedition data. During HE612/1 the inertial navigation system IXSEA PHINS III and the GPS receivers Trimble Marine SPS461 and SAAB R5 SUPREME NAV were used as navigation sensors. Data were downloaded from DAVIS SHIP data base (https://dship.awi.de) with a resolution of 1 sec. Processed data are provided as a master track with 1 sec resolution derived from the position sensors' data selected by priority and a generalized track with a reduced set of the most significant positions of the master track

Test data Helgoland Roads 2022 hydrochemistry

Test data set Helgoland Roads hydrochemistry 202

Test Reede Data 2022

Abstract will be here soo

Mesozooplankton abundances at timeseries station Helgoland Roads, in 2021

Samples to detemine zooplankton abundance were collected as part of the Helgoland Roads long-term data series in 2021. Zooplankton were sampled at the “Kabeltonne” site (54°11.3′N, 7°54.0′E) using an oblique haul with a 150µm hand net (Apstein, Hydrobios, Kiel) and preserved in 4% formaldehyde (buffered with Borax) to allow for storage and later examination. Sampling volume was calculated with a mechanic flowmeter (Hydrobios, Kiel). Samples were counted either as whole or as subsamples depending on the density. However, at least 60 individuals of each key species were counted per subsample to ensure counting of a representative part of the sample. Species were identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level using a stereomicroscope (Leica M205C). If identification to the species level was not possible, the next identifiable taxonomic category was assigned

Phytoplankton and Microzooplankton abundances at time series station Helgoland Roads since 1962

This data collection contains phytoplankton and microzooplankton abundances at Long-term Ecological Research at AWI (LTER) station Helgoland Roads, North Sea beginning in 1962. The collection is regularly updated

Mature biofilm communities on synthetic polymers in seawater - Specific or general?

To understand the ecological impacts of the “Plastisphere”, those microbes need to be identified that preferentially colonize and interact with synthetic polymer surfaces, as opposed to general surface colonizers. It was hypothesized that the microbial biofilm composition varies distinctly between different substrates. A long-term incubation experiment was conducted (15month) with nine different synthetic polymer films as substrate as well as glass using a natural seawater flow-through system. To identify colonizing microorganisms, 16S and 18SrRNA gene tag sequencing was performed. The microbial biofilms of these diverse artificial surfaces were visualized via scanning electron microscopy. Biofilm communities attached to synthetic polymers are distinct from glass associated biofilms; apparently a more general marine biofilm core community serves as shared core among all synthetic polymers rather than a specific synthetic polymer community. Nevertheless, characteristic and discriminatory taxa of significantly different biofilm communities were identified, indicating their specificity to a given substrate

Hydrochemistry at time series station Helgoland Roads, North Sea since 2001

This data collection contains hydrochemistry measurements at Long-term Ecological Research at AWI (LTER) station Helgoland Roads, North Sea beginning in 2001. The collection is regularly updated