Occurrence dataset Registered February 14, 2017

    Antarctic Biodiversity Studies 2006 (Ross Sea, Scott Island, and Balleny Islands) (TAN0602)

    Description

    NIWA was contracted by the New Zealand Government, through its agent Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), to conduct a 51-day scientific study of areas in the Eastern & Central Ross Sea and around Scott & Balleny Islands, Antarctica. This work included biodiversity studies for the Ministry of Fishes (MFish), and marine mammal and sea bird studies for MFish and Department of Conservation (DoC).

    Geographic scope

    Description

    Ross Sea, Scott Island, and Balleny Islands

    Latitude
    From -76.13 to -59.45
    Longitude
    From -159 to 162

    Temporal scope

    range
    January 25, 2006 - March 18, 2006

    Methodology

    Sampling

    During daylight hours hourly counts of seabird abundances and continuous recording of marine mammal sightings with occasional directed in situ sampling using epibenthic sleds, still and video cameras and krill nets

    Study extent

    Eastern and Central Ross Sea, Scott Island & Balleny Islands, Antarctica, 2006.

    Method steps
    1. Instantaneous counts of birds at 3 distances and bird transect counts

    2. Marine mammal transect counts

    3. Camera stations (still and video) were used to test the feasibility of obtaining relative abundance estimates and local density estimates of demersal fishes by comparing fish abundances, size frequencies and species compositions in still camera images during periods of continuous lighting vs. occasional strobe lighting during benthic camera transects when the camera system was actively “flown” 5-10 m above the bottom while the Tangaroa was slowly drifting or underway (~0.5 knot). A colour video camera recorded fish behaviour during the flood-lit phase and verified the period that the flood light was on. The work was planned to take place at randomly positioned stations in one depth stratum < 1000m of one area of higher demersal fish abundance identified from existing catch rate data.

    4. Meso-zooplankton (2x2m fine-mesh (2mm)) net was used to opportunistically sample midwater andcsurface swarms of krill and other mesopelagic species.

    5. Epibenthic sled (mouth opening 1.4 x 0.5 m, 2 m long, 25 mm mesh diameter) was used to sample the uppermost infaunal and the epifaunal components of the benthic communities. The epibenthic sled was towed at a speed of 1.5 knots for a distance of ~0.5 nm parallel to the depth contour yielding paired sled and photographic estimates of benthic macro-invertebrate abundance and composition suitable for tests of association with demersal fish abundance and community composition.

    Metrics

    Additional info

    marine, harvested by iOBIS

    Contacts

    • Kevin Mackay

      Originator
      Metadata author
      Administrative point of contact
      Organization
      NIWA
      Position
      Marine Data Manager
      Address
      Private Bag 14-901
      Roles
      Originator
      Metadata author
      Administrative point of contact

    GBIF registration

    Registration date
    February 14, 2017
    Metadata last modified
    August 08, 2018
    Publication date
    August 08, 2018
    Hosted by
    The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA)
    Installation
    Southwest Pacific Regional OBIS Node
    Endpoints
    Darwin Core Archive
    EML
    Preferred identifier
    10.15468/9jchw1
    Alternative identifiers

    Citation

    NIWA (2015). Antarctic Biodiversity Studies 2006 - Ross Sea, Scott Island, and Balleny Islands (TAN0602). Southwestern Pacific OBIS, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand, 1061 records, Online http://nzobisipt.niwa.co.nz/resource.do?r=tan0602 released on April 17, 2015. https://doi.org/10.15468/9jchw1 accessed via GBIF.org on 2025-08-06.