Nella Dan: ADBEX II Cruise - Hydroacoustic krill survey data

This cruise is the third in a series of six cruises, performing a long term survey of krill and other zooplankton distribution and abundance. Australia was to have participated in the Second International Biomass Experiment I (SIBEX I), but withdrew due to resupply problems.

ADBEX II is a reduced sampling program of what was to have been sampled during SIBEX I. Three transects were made off Antarctica in the Mawson region of the Australian sector, in January to March 1984, covering a survey area of 70,000 square kilometers. Quantitative and geographic krill distribution, abundance, mean and variance of the krill weight density, and total krill biomass were obtained. Biomass estimates for ADBEX II are given as 3.5 million tonnes, obtained by extrapolating over the survey area used on the SIBEX II cruise (1.28x10^6 square kilometers).