Articles | Volume 18, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-7345-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-18-7345-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Data description article
| Highlight paper
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06 Oct 2026
Data description article | Highlight paper |
| 06 Oct 2026
| 06 Oct 2026
A global consistent database of plankton and detritus from in situ imaging by the Underwater Vision Profiler 5
Ariadna C. Nocera
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Centro para el Estudio de Sistemas Marinos, CCT-CENPAT-CONICET, U9120ACD, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
Marcel Babin
Département de Biologie, Universite Laval, Québec, Canada
Tristan Biard
Laboratoire d'Océanologie et de Géosciences (LOG), Universite du Littoral Côte d'Opale, Université Lille, CNRS, IRD, UMR 8187, Wimereux, France
Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
Julie Coustenoble
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
François Carlotti
Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, Aix-Marseille Universite, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7294, Marseille, France
Laurent Coppola
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, OSU STAMAR, UAR2017, 4 Place Jussieu, 75252 Paris CEDEX 05, France
Lucas Courchet
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, IMEV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Laetitia Drago
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
current address: Laboratoire d'Océanographie et du Climat: Expérimentations et Approches Numériques (LOCEAN-IPSL), Sorbonne Université, UMR 7159 CNRS-IRD-MNHN, Paris, France
Amanda Elineau
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Lionel Guidi
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Helena Hauss
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
Laëtitia Jalabert
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, IMEV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Lee Karp-Boss
School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
Rainer Kiko
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
NORCE Norwegian Research Centre, Bergen, Norway
Manon Laget
Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, Aix-Marseille Universite, Université de Toulon, CNRS, IRD, UMR 7294, Marseille, France
current address: Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Fabien Lombard
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
Andrew McDonnell
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
Camille Merland
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Solène Motreuil
GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, Kiel, Germany
Thelma Panaïotis
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
current address: National Oceanography Centre, Southampton, UK
Marc Picheral
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
Andreas Rogge
Alfred-Wegener-Institut, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany
Institute of Environmental Physics, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
Anya Waite
Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Jean-Olivier Irisson
Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche, LOV, 06230 Villefranche-sur-Mer, France
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Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 3851–3871, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3851-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-3851-2024, 2024
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We build a compilation of early-life dispersal traits for coastal fish species. The database contains over 110 000 entries collected from 1993 to 2021 in the western Mediterranean. All observations are harmonized to provide information on dates and locations of spawning and settlement, along with pelagic larval durations. When applicable, missing data are reconstructed from dynamic energy budget theory. Statistical analyses reveal sampling biases across taxa, space and time.
Mathilde Dugenne, Marco Corrales-Ugalde, Jessica Y. Luo, Rainer Kiko, Todd D. O'Brien, Jean-Olivier Irisson, Fabien Lombard, Lars Stemmann, Charles Stock, Clarissa R. Anderson, Marcel Babin, Nagib Bhairy, Sophie Bonnet, Francois Carlotti, Astrid Cornils, E. Taylor Crockford, Patrick Daniel, Corinne Desnos, Laetitia Drago, Amanda Elineau, Alexis Fischer, Nina Grandrémy, Pierre-Luc Grondin, Lionel Guidi, Cecile Guieu, Helena Hauss, Kendra Hayashi, Jenny A. Huggett, Laetitia Jalabert, Lee Karp-Boss, Kasia M. Kenitz, Raphael M. Kudela, Magali Lescot, Claudie Marec, Andrew McDonnell, Zoe Mériguet, Barbara Niehoff, Margaux Noyon, Thelma Panaïotis, Emily Peacock, Marc Picheral, Emilie Riquier, Collin Roesler, Jean-Baptiste Romagnan, Heidi M. Sosik, Gretchen Spencer, Jan Taucher, Chloé Tilliette, and Marion Vilain
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 2971–2999, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2971-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-2971-2024, 2024
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Plankton and particles influence carbon cycling and energy flow in marine ecosystems. We used three types of novel plankton imaging systems to obtain size measurements from a range of plankton and particle sizes and across all major oceans. Data were compiled and cross-calibrated from many thousands of images, showing seasonal and spatial changes in particle size structure in different ocean basins. These datasets form the first release of the Pelagic Size Structure database (PSSdb).
Nico Lange, Björn Fiedler, Marta Álvarez, Alice Benoit-Cattin, Heather Benway, Pier Luigi Buttigieg, Laurent Coppola, Kim Currie, Susana Flecha, Dana S. Gerlach, Makio Honda, I. Emma Huertas, Siv K. Lauvset, Frank Muller-Karger, Arne Körtzinger, Kevin M. O'Brien, Sólveig R. Ólafsdóttir, Fernando C. Pacheco, Digna Rueda-Roa, Ingunn Skjelvan, Masahide Wakita, Angelicque White, and Toste Tanhua
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1901–1931, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1901-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1901-2024, 2024
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Nina Grandremy, Paul Bourriau, Edwin Daché, Marie-Madeleine Danielou, Mathieu Doray, Christine Dupuy, Bertrand Forest, Laetitia Jalabert, Martin Huret, Sophie Le Mestre, Antoine Nowaczyk, Pierre Petitgas, Philippe Pineau, Justin Rouxel, Morgan Tardivel, and Jean-Baptiste Romagnan
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1265–1282, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1265-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1265-2024, 2024
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Nicolas Metzl, Jonathan Fin, Claire Lo Monaco, Claude Mignon, Samir Alliouane, David Antoine, Guillaume Bourdin, Jacqueline Boutin, Yann Bozec, Pascal Conan, Laurent Coppola, Frédéric Diaz, Eric Douville, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Jean-Pierre Gattuso, Frédéric Gazeau, Melek Golbol, Bruno Lansard, Dominique Lefèvre, Nathalie Lefèvre, Fabien Lombard, Férial Louanchi, Liliane Merlivat, Léa Olivier, Anne Petrenko, Sébastien Petton, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Christophe Rabouille, Gilles Reverdin, Céline Ridame, Aline Tribollet, Vincenzo Vellucci, Thibaut Wagener, and Cathy Wimart-Rousseau
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 89–120, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-89-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-89-2024, 2024
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This work presents a synthesis of 44 000 total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon observations obtained between 1993 and 2022 in the Global Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at the surface and in the water column. Seawater samples were measured using the same method and calibrated with international Certified Reference Material. We describe the data assemblage, quality control and some potential uses of this dataset.
Caroline Ulses, Claude Estournel, Patrick Marsaleix, Karline Soetaert, Marine Fourrier, Laurent Coppola, Dominique Lefèvre, Franck Touratier, Catherine Goyet, Véronique Guglielmi, Fayçal Kessouri, Pierre Testor, and Xavier Durrieu de Madron
Biogeosciences, 20, 4683–4710, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4683-2023, 2023
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Deep convection plays a key role in the circulation, thermodynamics, and biogeochemical cycles in the Mediterranean Sea, considered to be a hotspot of biodiversity and climate change. In this study, we investigate the seasonal and annual budget of dissolved inorganic carbon in the deep-convection area of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea.
Philippe Massicotte, Marcel Babin, Frank Fell, Vincent Fournier-Sicre, and David Doxaran
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3529–3545, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3529-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3529-2023, 2023
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The COASTlOOC oceanographic expeditions in 1997 and 1998 studied the relationship between seawater properties and biology and chemistry across the European coasts. The team collected data from 379 stations using ships and helicopters to support the development of ocean color remote-sensing algorithms. This unique and consistent dataset is still used today by researchers.
Joelle Habib, Caroline Ulses, Claude Estournel, Milad Fakhri, Patrick Marsaleix, Mireille Pujo-Pay, Marine Fourrier, Laurent Coppola, Alexandre Mignot, Laurent Mortier, and Pascal Conan
Biogeosciences, 20, 3203–3228, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3203-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3203-2023, 2023
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The Rhodes Gyre, eastern Mediterranean Sea, is the main Levantine Intermediate Water formation site. In this study, we use a 3D physical–biogeochemical model to investigate the seasonal and interannual variability of organic carbon dynamics in the gyre. Our results show its autotrophic nature and its high interannual variability, with enhanced primary production, downward exports, and onward exports to the surrounding regions during years marked by intense heat losses and deep mixed layers.
Anna Denvil-Sommer, Erik T. Buitenhuis, Rainer Kiko, Fabien Lombard, Lionel Guidi, and Corinne Le Quéré
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 2995–3012, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2995-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-2995-2023, 2023
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Using outputs of global biogeochemical ocean model and machine learning methods, we demonstrate that it will be possible to identify linkages between surface environmental and ecosystem structure and the export of carbon to depth by sinking organic particles using real observations. It will be possible to use this knowledge to improve both our understanding of ecosystem dynamics and of their functional representation within models.
Martine Lizotte, Bennet Juhls, Atsushi Matsuoka, Philippe Massicotte, Gaëlle Mével, David Obie James Anikina, Sofia Antonova, Guislain Bécu, Marine Béguin, Simon Bélanger, Thomas Bossé-Demers, Lisa Bröder, Flavienne Bruyant, Gwénaëlle Chaillou, Jérôme Comte, Raoul-Marie Couture, Emmanuel Devred, Gabrièle Deslongchamps, Thibaud Dezutter, Miles Dillon, David Doxaran, Aude Flamand, Frank Fell, Joannie Ferland, Marie-Hélène Forget, Michael Fritz, Thomas J. Gordon, Caroline Guilmette, Andrea Hilborn, Rachel Hussherr, Charlotte Irish, Fabien Joux, Lauren Kipp, Audrey Laberge-Carignan, Hugues Lantuit, Edouard Leymarie, Antonio Mannino, Juliette Maury, Paul Overduin, Laurent Oziel, Colin Stedmon, Crystal Thomas, Lucas Tisserand, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Jorien Vonk, Dustin Whalen, and Marcel Babin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 1617–1653, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1617-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-1617-2023, 2023
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Permafrost thaw in the Mackenzie Delta region results in the release of organic matter into the coastal marine environment. What happens to this carbon-rich organic matter as it transits along the fresh to salty aquatic environments is still underdocumented. Four expeditions were conducted from April to September 2019 in the coastal area of the Beaufort Sea to study the fate of organic matter. This paper describes a rich set of data characterizing the composition and sources of organic matter.
Patricia Ayón Dejo, Elda Luz Pinedo Arteaga, Anna Schukat, Jan Taucher, Rainer Kiko, Helena Hauss, Sabrina Dorschner, Wilhelm Hagen, Mariona Segura-Noguera, and Silke Lischka
Biogeosciences, 20, 945–969, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-945-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-945-2023, 2023
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Ocean upwelling regions are highly productive. With ocean warming, severe changes in upwelling frequency and/or intensity and expansion of accompanying oxygen minimum zones are projected. In a field experiment off Peru, we investigated how different upwelling intensities affect the pelagic food web and found failed reproduction of dominant zooplankton. The changes projected could severely impact the reproductive success of zooplankton communities and the pelagic food web in upwelling regions.
Flavienne Bruyant, Rémi Amiraux, Marie-Pier Amyot, Philippe Archambault, Lise Artigue, Lucas Barbedo de Freitas, Guislain Bécu, Simon Bélanger, Pascaline Bourgain, Annick Bricaud, Etienne Brouard, Camille Brunet, Tonya Burgers, Danielle Caleb, Katrine Chalut, Hervé Claustre, Véronique Cornet-Barthaux, Pierre Coupel, Marine Cusa, Fanny Cusset, Laeticia Dadaglio, Marty Davelaar, Gabrièle Deslongchamps, Céline Dimier, Julie Dinasquet, Dany Dumont, Brent Else, Igor Eulaers, Joannie Ferland, Gabrielle Filteau, Marie-Hélène Forget, Jérome Fort, Louis Fortier, Martí Galí, Morgane Gallinari, Svend-Erik Garbus, Nicole Garcia, Catherine Gérikas Ribeiro, Colline Gombault, Priscilla Gourvil, Clémence Goyens, Cindy Grant, Pierre-Luc Grondin, Pascal Guillot, Sandrine Hillion, Rachel Hussherr, Fabien Joux, Hannah Joy-Warren, Gabriel Joyal, David Kieber, Augustin Lafond, José Lagunas, Patrick Lajeunesse, Catherine Lalande, Jade Larivière, Florence Le Gall, Karine Leblanc, Mathieu Leblanc, Justine Legras, Keith Lévesque, Kate-M. Lewis, Edouard Leymarie, Aude Leynaert, Thomas Linkowski, Martine Lizotte, Adriana Lopes dos Santos, Claudie Marec, Dominique Marie, Guillaume Massé, Philippe Massicotte, Atsushi Matsuoka, Lisa A. Miller, Sharif Mirshak, Nathalie Morata, Brivaela Moriceau, Philippe-Israël Morin, Simon Morisset, Anders Mosbech, Alfonso Mucci, Gabrielle Nadaï, Christian Nozais, Ingrid Obernosterer, Thimoté Paire, Christos Panagiotopoulos, Marie Parenteau, Noémie Pelletier, Marc Picheral, Bernard Quéguiner, Patrick Raimbault, Joséphine Ras, Eric Rehm, Llúcia Ribot Lacosta, Jean-François Rontani, Blanche Saint-Béat, Julie Sansoulet, Noé Sardet, Catherine Schmechtig, Antoine Sciandra, Richard Sempéré, Caroline Sévigny, Jordan Toullec, Margot Tragin, Jean-Éric Tremblay, Annie-Pier Trottier, Daniel Vaulot, Anda Vladoiu, Lei Xue, Gustavo Yunda-Guarin, and Marcel Babin
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4607–4642, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4607-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4607-2022, 2022
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This paper presents a dataset acquired during a research cruise held in Baffin Bay in 2016. We observed that the disappearance of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean increases both the length and spatial extent of the phytoplankton growth season. In the future, this will impact the food webs on which the local populations depend for their food supply and fisheries. This dataset will provide insight into quantifying these impacts and help the decision-making process for policymakers.
Rainer Kiko, Marc Picheral, David Antoine, Marcel Babin, Léo Berline, Tristan Biard, Emmanuel Boss, Peter Brandt, Francois Carlotti, Svenja Christiansen, Laurent Coppola, Leandro de la Cruz, Emilie Diamond-Riquier, Xavier Durrieu de Madron, Amanda Elineau, Gabriel Gorsky, Lionel Guidi, Helena Hauss, Jean-Olivier Irisson, Lee Karp-Boss, Johannes Karstensen, Dong-gyun Kim, Rachel M. Lekanoff, Fabien Lombard, Rubens M. Lopes, Claudie Marec, Andrew M. P. McDonnell, Daniela Niemeyer, Margaux Noyon, Stephanie H. O'Daly, Mark D. Ohman, Jessica L. Pretty, Andreas Rogge, Sarah Searson, Masashi Shibata, Yuji Tanaka, Toste Tanhua, Jan Taucher, Emilia Trudnowska, Jessica S. Turner, Anya Waite, and Lars Stemmann
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 14, 4315–4337, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4315-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-14-4315-2022, 2022
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The term
marine particlescomprises detrital aggregates; fecal pellets; bacterioplankton, phytoplankton and zooplankton; and even fish. Here, we present a global dataset that contains 8805 vertical particle size distribution profiles obtained with Underwater Vision Profiler 5 (UVP5) camera systems. These data are valuable to the scientific community, as they can be used to constrain important biogeochemical processes in the ocean, such as the flux of carbon to the deep sea.
Gauthier Vérin, Florent Domine, Marcel Babin, Ghislain Picard, and Laurent Arnaud
The Cryosphere, 16, 3431–3449, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3431-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3431-2022, 2022
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Snow physical properties on Arctic sea ice are monitored during the melt season. As snow grains grow, and the snowpack thickness is reduced, the surface albedo decreases. The extra absorbed energy accelerates melting. Radiative transfer modeling shows that more radiation is then transmitted to the snow–sea-ice interface. A sharp increase in transmitted radiation takes place when the snowpack thins significantly, and this coincides with the initiation of the phytoplankton bloom in the seawater.
Natalia Belkin, Tamar Guy-Haim, Maxim Rubin-Blum, Ayah Lazar, Guy Sisma-Ventura, Rainer Kiko, Arseniy R. Morov, Tal Ozer, Isaac Gertman, Barak Herut, and Eyal Rahav
Ocean Sci., 18, 693–715, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-693-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/os-18-693-2022, 2022
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We studied how distinct water circulations that elevate (cyclone) or descend (anticyclone) water from the upper ocean affect the biomass, activity and diversity of planktonic microorganisms in the impoverished eastern Mediterranean. We show that cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies differ in their community composition and production. Moreover, the anticyclone may be a potential bio-invasion and dispersal vector, while the cyclone may serve as a thermal refugee for native species.
Cited articles
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Editorial statement
This manuscript presents a commendable effort to assemble and standardize a comprehensive, decade-long (2008–2018) global dataset of plankton and detritus from Underwater Vision Profiler. The resulting archive of approximately eight million validated images is a valuable resource that will support future analyses of plankton biogeography, enhance biogeochemical models, and aid in developing AI-driven image classification methods.
This manuscript presents a commendable effort to assemble and standardize a comprehensive,...
Short summary
Plankton and sinking organic particles (detritus) shape how the ocean stores carbon, but they are difficult to observe worldwide. We present a global, openly available collection of about 8 million images captured by an underwater camera (UVP5) in 3114 profiles from 2008 to 2018 and sorted into 33 categories. Detritus made up 90 % of the objects and copepods were the most common plankton. The dataset can help train machine learning tools and improve ocean ecosystem and climate models.
Plankton and sinking organic particles (detritus) shape how the ocean stores carbon, but they...
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