Biological Investigations of Marine Antarctic Systems and Stocks (BIOMASS) Data Set

SIBEX 1 & 2 were designed to produce a temporal sequence of observations focused on much smaller areas of the Bransfield Strait and Prydz Bay regions. Data were collected on krill distribution from acoustic surveys and krill population structure from net-hauls. Supporting data from ichthyoplankton net-hauls, oceanographic stations (temperature, salinity, nutrients and chlorophyll-a) and observations of sea-birds at sea were also collected.

Data were collated and standardized by the BIOMASS Data Centre, at the British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, UK. The validation and correction of the data were carried out during data analysis workshops, by the BIOMASS scientists who collected the data. The majority of the BIOMASS data have been utilized during BIOMASS workshops.

However, some have not been used and must be regarded as unvalidated. The documentation accompanying the BIOMASS data set lists the known problems and validation status of the data. At the end of the BIOMASS Programme, the BIOMASS data were made freely available to any researchers.

It is not intended that any restriction be placed on the publication of scientific papers based on bona-fide academic research using the BIOMASS data set. However, for any publication, the source of the data must be acknowledged clearly and unambiguously.