Plankton Data and Visualization
A look at the various resources that provide ongoing plankton monitoring data.
Plankton make up the largest reservoir of biomass in the world's oceans and play a significant role in the transfer of energy and materials within the oceanic ecosystems. Access and insight into the world’s collection of historical and ongoing plankton monitoring data is essential for evaluating ecosystem health and for detecting changes in these ecosystems. The COPEPOD project offers access to a variety of raw plankton data sets, prepared data products, and visualization and analysis tool kits.
Coastal and Oceanic Plankton Ecology, Production, and Observation Database
The COPEPOD project was started in 2004 to integrate the vast collection of zooplankton data from NOAA Fisheries’ ecosystem monitoring programs into a U.S.-wide, and subsequently, global database of zooplankton and phytoplankton abundance, biomass, and composition. COPEPOD features hundreds of data sets from NOAA Fisheries, international, and historical plankton sampling efforts. Regional compilation and global gridded products are also available from these data.
Explore the COPEPOD Global Plankton Database
Interactive Time-Series Explorer Toolkit and Database
The COPEPOD Interactive Time-Series Explorer (COPEPODITE) is both an online toolkit and a database for plankton and marine ecological time series from around the world. It has a broad collection of standard graphics and analysis tools, which users can apply to their own uploaded data.
Explore COPEPODITE data and tools
Ecosystem Data and Visualization Tools
NAUPLIUS ties together data and visualization components from the COPEPOD, COPEPODITE, and ECHO projects, creating a view of the whole ecosystem from hydrography to biology.
Learn more about NAUPLIUS ecosystem data and visualization tools
NOAA Fisheries Ecosystem Monitoring Programs
- Zooplankton biomass sampled by bongo nets during surveys by NOAA Fisheries monitoring research vessels.
- Zooplankton biomass sampled by the SouthEast Area Monitoring and Assessment Program.
- Zooplankton biomass sampled during the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations Program.
- Zooplankton biomass sampled during ichthyoplankton surveys as part of the Ecosystems and Fisheries-Oceanography Cooperative Investigation Program.
International Cooperation
- IOC-UNESCO International Group for Marine Ecological Time Series
- ICES Working Group on Zooplankton Ecology
- ICES Working Group on Phytoplankton and Microbial Ecology