AndreaBozzo/ceres-open-data-index huggingface dataset:
Ichthyofauna of a Kenyan seagrass bed and the diet of Plotosus lineatus (Gazi Bay, August 1993)

List and counts of observed fish species and prey spectra for 15 cat fish sampled in August 1993 at Gazi Bay (Kenya). The data were digitized by VLIZ from the original report: Van Waeyenberge, J. (1994). De visfauna van een Kenyaans zeegrasveld en het dieet van de top-predator Plotosus lineatus; The ichthyofauna of a Kenyan seagrass bed and the diet of the top-predator Plotosus lineatus. Thesis. University of Gent, Zoology Institute, Marine Biology Section: Ghent. 16 pp.
From this short investigation on the prey spectrum of the cat fish Plotosus lineatus, we can conclude that they prey for more than 95% on (a few species of) amphipods and only show limited predation on crabs. Other prey items (shrimp and polychaeta) can be neglected.
LifeWatch observatory data: zooplankton observations by in-situ imaging (Video Plankton Recorder) in the Belgian Part of the North Sea

As part of the marine LifeWatch observatory, a real-time Video Plankton Recorder (VPR) (Seascan, Inc.) was added to the set of high-throughput imaging sensors that can be used to observe and understand zooplankton and its dynamics in the marine ecosystem. The VPR is essentially an underwater microscope which records images of particles from 100µm up to a few centimeters. 

In the framework of the Lifewatch marine observatory the VPR is deployed both on fixed monthly  transects and project-based transects, using the RV Simon Stevin.
Happywhale - Beluga in Arctic Ocean

Happywhale.com is a resource to help you know whales as individuals, and to benefit conservation science with rich data about individual whales.
Original provider: Happywhale Dataset credits: Happywhale and contributors Supplemental information: Sightings and images were submitted to Happywhale by contributors. A portion of the Happywhale data were transferred to OBIS-SEAMAP upon the agreement between Happywhale and OBIS-SEAMAP. There may be duplicate records among Happywhale datasets and other OBIS-SEAMAP datasets. The precision of date/time vary per record. Some records have date accuracy up to year only. This dataset includes sightings and photos from the following 9 contributors in alphabetic order: Anna Astafurova; Conor Ryan; Johnny Giese; Kerstin Langenberger; Léa Zinsli; Marian Herz; Mick Peerdeman; Rémi Bigonneau; Victoria Stokes
PANGAEA - Data from profiles across Mediterranean sedimentary systems (PROMESS)

PROMESS 1 is the first attempt to realise scientific drilling on continental shelves and slopes in the Mediterranean Sea. It is designed for sampling long sections (50-300 m) and realise in situ measurements of shelf and upper slope sedimentary sequences deposited during the last 500 kyr, at 50-300 m water depth. It will provide clues on sea-level changes, slope stability, canyon history and climate variability in physiographic settings with high sedimentation (glacial and interglacial prodeltas) and exceptional preservation of depositional sequences.

Through PANGAEA, absolute and relative abundance data on planktic and benthic foraminifera in hole PRAD1-2 have been made publicly available.
PANGAEA - Data from Biogeochemical fluxes of matter and energy in the deep sea (BIGSET)

Data from Biogeochemical fluxes on the benthic boundary layer (BBL).
Investigations focus on the benthic boundary layer (BBL). A zone extending from a couple of hundred metres above the sediment to about 5m into the sediment. Most of the studies concentrated to the nepheloid layer and the bioturbated sediment layer. Vertical and lateral input of carbon into the BBL is determined by physical processes as well as by organisms. The bathy- and abysso-pelagic zooplankton and nekton including its bentho-pelagic components act as mediators between the productive oceanic surface layer and the benthos. The flux rates measured at the sediment/water interface, thus, mediate between short time scales of oceanic surface layer processes and the long time scales of processes in sediment layers beneath the bioturbated and bioirrigated sediment surface. Past productivity and modes of deposition (aeolic-seasonal, fluvial-seasonal up to episodic, turbidical-episodical) are reconstructed from amount and composition of trace elements in the solid phase and porewater.
Phytoplankton data collected in the Black Sea during the 5th cruise of the R/V "Kiev"

This dataset contains phytoplankton data collected in the Black Sea during the 5th cruise of the R/V "Kiev, from November 11th to December 5th 1995.
This dataset contains phytoplankton data collected in the Black Sea during the 5th cruise of the R/V "Kiev", from November 11th to December 5th 1995.
PANGAEA - Data from Mass transfer and ecosystem response (MATER): microplankton abundances at different stations in the euphotic zone of the Aegean Sea

Microplankton abundance at different stations in the euphotic zone of the Aegean Sea
The objective of the MTP II MATER is to study and to quantify the triggering and controlling mechanisms of mass and energy transfer between the different compartments (land - sea, sea - atmosphere, water - sediment, living - non living, pelagos - benthos), in contrasting trophic environments (from eutrophic to oligotrophic) of the Mediterranean Sea and to investigate the ecosystem response to such a transfer. 

From PANGAEA, data on microplankton abundance at different stations in the euphotic zone of the Aegean Sea are available.
Population estimate and distribution pattern of Indian Ocean humpback dolphin in northwestern Persian Gulf

The habitat specialist Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) is the second most common cetacean in the Persian Gulf. Mousa Bay in the northwestern Persian Gulf is an important, but highly industrialised habitat for this species. We developed a systematic and comprehensive distance sampling survey carried out from 2014 to 2016 to estimate abundance and population density of humpback dolphin in this bay. To evaluate distribution pattern of the species, eight environmental variables were measured and employed in a zero-inflated generalised additive model (ZINB GAM). With an estimated abundance of 92 animals (64–131, 95% CI) and density of 0.123 animal / km2 (0.086–0.176, 95% CI), our results revealed Mousa Bay as one of the largest populations of humpback dolphin in northern latitudes of its global range.
Purpose: - Studying the abundance, distribution and zoning of dolphin habitats in the coastal waters of Khuzestan - Collecting and producing information about the environmental, ecological, and human characteristics and the most important factors of threats and pressure on the humpback dolphin. - Obtaining demographic information of the species such as group size and proportion of newborns - Obtaining information on the abundance and probability of seeing the species in the study area for use in ecotourism purposes. Observation time was not provided. Observations before and after the project implementation period (2014-2016) are also presented. Registered as part of the International Marine Mammal Area under the title "NORTHERN GULF AND CONFLUENCE OF THE TIGRIS, EUPHRATES, AND KURAN IMMA"
2012_LEOPOLDKANAAL - Acoustic telemetry data for European eel (Anguilla anguilla) in a polder area in Flanders (Belgium)

This is an acoustic telemetry dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). It contains animal (fish) tracking data collected by the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network (https://lifewatch.be/en/fish-acoustic-receiver-network) for the project/study 2012_leopoldkanaal, using VEMCO tags (V7, V13) and receivers (VR2AR, VR2W). In total 104 female individuals of European eel (Anguilla anguilla) were captured, tagged and released in 2011 and 2012, to study their movement behaviour during the yellow eel stage and migration behaviour during the silver eel stage for 4 years in Meetjesland, a polder area in Flanders, Belgium.
Polder areas are lowland systems below sea level that are drained for agricultural and urbanization purposes. Hence, they are characterised by water regulating structures such as dykes, water pumping stations and weirs. They are characterised by a network of canals, connected ponds and ditches, resulting in a high habitat diversity and thus many potential growth areas. When the water level rises beyond a certain threshold during precipitation events, water is pumped from the polder area into the sea to maintain a specific water level. Not only does this result in irregular water flows, water pumping stations have already shown to negatively affect fish passing through them by various injuries and mortalities. In this tracking study, we investigated the movement and ranging behaviour of resident, yellow eels to understand their spatio-temporal habitat use in the polder. Second, we analysed what routes migrating silver eels take, what environmental factors influence this migration and to what extent they are delayed by the migration barriers.
This dataset was collected using infrastructure provided by VLIZ and INBO funded by the Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) as part of the Belgian contribution to LifeWatch. The study was commissioned by the Agency of Nature and Forest (ANB). Data were exported from the European Tracking Network data portal (http://www.lifewatch.be/etn) developed by VLIZ using the ETN R package (https://inbo.github.io/etn/) developed by INBO. Field definitions can be found at https://inbo.github.io/etn/articles/etn_fields.html.
Diatoms of Laspi Bay (Black Sea)

Check-list and abundance of benthic diatoms on the soft bottom from Laspi Bay (SW Crimea, the Black Sea, Ukraine)
List of benthic diatom species (Bacillariophyta), its taxonomical status (from infraspecific taxa to division level), modern synonimisation and its abundance (cells per sq.m of the soft bottom) at the Laspi Bay water area (South-West Crimea, the Black Sea, Ukraine)
Trawl-survey data from the “expedition Hvar” in the Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean) collected in 1948-1949

The “expedition HVAR” (1948-1949), organised by the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries of Split (IOF, Croatia), was the first large-scale fishery-independent trawl-survey ever performed in the Adriatic Sea. The survey was conducted with the motorboat “Hvar” (250 HP; LOA = 25 m) in the territorial waters of the former Yugoslavia (currently territorial waters of the Republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro) and Albania, and in the international waters to approximately 20 nautical miles off the Italian coast.
The database includes CPUE (n/h and kg/h) indexes of 95 demersal species for 271 hauls at 151 fixed stations. Species synonymies were updated according to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Some species are grouped into multispecies categories that group taxonomically similar species, i.e. species of the same genus or family (e.g. Raja spp., Triglidae). Information on the sediment type was also reported for each station. The depth of each station was extracted from the EMODnet Digital Bathymetry. Fish samples were taken with a cotton bottom otter-trawl net with wing mesh size of 55 mm, cod-end mesh size of 26 mm, foot-rope of 44 m and head-rope of 35 m. Trawling was carried out during daylight. The average tow speed was 3 knots. The purpose of the research was to determine the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the demersal communities of fish, crustaceans and cephalopods and to assess the possibility of their exploitation. This survey was conducted in the period when the demersal fish and invertebrate communities were not intensely exploited (“post-war conditions”), and thus this data Jucan serve as a reference baseline for the following changes.
Benthos from Karkinitsky Gulf (Black Sea)

Abundance and Biomass of soft-bottom benthos from Karkinitsky gulf (North-Western Crimea, The Black Sea, Ukraine) for period within 1980-1989
Karkinitsky Gulf is shallow (depth up to 35-40m) and one of the most productive nearshore region of the Black Sea. First investigation of benthic assemblages was made by L.V. Arnoldi (USSR) in 1930s.  The pronounced changes in the Gulf bottom assemblages had occurred since 1930s till 1980s due to results of intensive fisheries, mussel’ dredging activity,  general pollution of the water area as well as agricultural developments at the adjacent near shore zones. Benthic Samples in Karkinitsky Gulf had been taken during several irregular sampling cruises by R/V within period 1980-1989.
Trawl-survey data in the Adriatic Sea (Mediterranean) collected in 1972, 1975 and 1981

In November 1972, the Laboratory of Marine Biology and Fisheries of Fano (LMBF, Italy) and the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (IOF, Croatia) organised a fishery-independent joint research in the Central Adriatic along the profile Fano-Dugi Otok (5 hauls), which was later extended to four profiles (17 hauls) in the Northern and Central Adriatic in October 1975. In September 1981, another survey performed three profiles in the Northern Adriatic Sea (9 hauls), replicating some of the stations sampled in 1975.
Since stations coordinates were not explicitly available in the documents, they were geolocated by using a GIS software based on sampling locations as reported on printed maps. The depth of each station was extracted from the EMODnet Digital Bathymetry. The composition of the demersal assemblages (41 species in 1972, 59 species in 1975 and 36 in 1981) was sampled with the use of a bottom otter-trawl net and reported in terms of quantity and quality (CPUE: kg/h). Species synonymies were updated according to the modern nomenclature referring to the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Some species are grouped into multispecies categories that group taxonomically similar species, i.e. species of the same genus or family (e.g. Raja spp., Triglidae). Sampling in 1972 was carried out by means of the Italian commercial trawler “Santi Medici” (300 HP; LOA = unknown), while in 1975 and 1981 by means of the Italian commercial trawler “Giannetto” (120 HP; LOA = 19 m). Few information are available in relation to the characteristics of the nets employed. “Giannetto” towed a net with cod-end mesh size of 18 mm, while “Santi Medici” towed a net with cod-end mesh size of 20 mm. The average tow speed was 3.5 knots for “Santi Medici” and 3 knots for “Giannetto”.
Study of epibenthos and demersal fish in and around the thiocarbamate discharge area of the Belgian Continental Shelf (1977-1981)

Presence, density and biomass data for ichtyofauna and epibenthos sampled in the STAUFFER discharge area between 1977 and 1981 and comparison of these data with some coastal reference points choosen in the Belgian Part of the North Sea. The data were digitized by VLIZ from the original report: Maertens, D.; Vanhee, W. (1985). Analyse van de levensgemeenschappen op het Belgisch Kontinentaal Plat: studie van de epibenthale fauna en van de demersale Pisces in het lozingsgebied voor thiocarbamaat afvalstoffen. Partim: biologisch monitoring onderzoek 1977-81. Rapport Stauffer/MON/BIO/4/81. Rijksstation voor Zeevisserij: Oostende. 10 + annexes pp.
Species list of epibenthos and fish in and around the Stauffer discharge area in 1977-1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981. Density, biomass, dominance and diversity of fish and epibenthos from 1977 to 1981. Stauffer densities of most important groups of epibenthos and fish and some commercial fish and shrimp are compared with those sampled at some choosen reference points (Oostende, Zeebrugge, Koksijde, Nieuwpoort and Blankenberge).
Mariene cheliceratacollectie van het Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen

The Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Marine Chelicerata Collection contains 443 digitised specimens over 30 taxa (mostly species). This dataset only contains the marine species of the collection. The following classes are included: Malacostraca Latreille, 1802, Merostomata, Pycnogonida Latreille, 1810.
Advanced Modelling - Research on Eutrophication - the Structure of Coastal Planktonic Food-webs: Mechanisms - Modelling (AMORE)

The AMORE project contributes to the implementation of an integrated land-coastal zone research methodology to assess and predict the eutrophication level of the coastal North Sea and the associated undesirable effects.  The ultimate aim is to reduce the current context of uncertainty in which decisions to counteract the eutrophication of the NS and protect its natural resources are made. Process-level field and laboratory-scale experiments were conducted to improve the basic knowledge on mechanisms through which a change in nutrients (in terms of N:P:Si NO3:NH4 inorganic:organic N ratios) induced modification in the phytoplanktonic community structure and hence the functioning of the whole planktonic food-web. For this the MUMM station 330_a has been monitored for a period of three years.
Zooplankton data collected in the Romanian Black Sea waters between 1956 and 1960

The zooplankton dataset contains samples collected during 1956-1960, from different stations, from the Romanian Black Sea waters. Samples were collected from different depths, in different seasons. All samples were collected using the Baskakova net, with an opening of 36 cm diameter. Zooplankton samples were analyzed both from quantitative (density and biomass) and qualitative (list of species) point of view.
Phytoplancton Marin du Liban

During the last 40 years of survey in the  Lebanese seawaters and the Levantine Basin, we identified and described about 400 species, belonging to 85 genera, including 230 dinoflagellates and 156 diatoms, 10 Silicoflagellates and 4 Ebriidae, many of them are introduced or migrated from Red Sea and Indian Ocean into the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal pathway.
Marine phytoplankton include all pelagic microalgae that float in the water and represent the primary producers of organic substances and oxygen in the pelagic environment. Because of photosynthetic pigments stored in the chloroplasts of cells and depending to the natural light energy  penetrating in the seawater, these algae can produce photosynthesis and synthesize basic organic substances to living marine organisms.

Marine algae are highly diversified in the world ocean. During the last 40 years of survey in the  Lebanese seawaters and the Levantine Basin, we identified and described about 400 species, belonging to 85 genera, including 230 dinoflagellates and 156 diatoms, 10 Silicoflagellates and 4 Ebriidae, many of them are introduced or migrated from Red Sea and Indian Ocean into the Mediterranean, through the Suez Canal pathway. These species show monthly and seasonal qualitative and quantitative distributions, with spring flowering (bloom) marking the maximum of standing crop reaching sometimes one million of cells/l-1 corresponding to about 1 mg of chlorophyll-a /m-3 of seawater.

Geographic distribution as well as vertical and seasonal variations of populations depend on several hydro-climatic and physical-chemical factors. Chemical nutrients such as phosphates, nitrates and silicates, constitute determinant factors for the sustainable development of microalgae. On the other hand, the water temperature, salinity and water mass movement are major factors in the spatio-temporal distribution of the species. During winter (December-March) the upwelling and seawater mass mixing  create homothermal conditions suitable for the development of cells to reach spring bloom. Inversely, during the summer hot season (June-October), the warming surface seawater and the heavy évaporation intensity, generate the stratification of water layers accompanied with sharp thermocline  in the layer 100-0 m. These hydrological conditions, in addition to the shortage of nutrients concentration and dissolved oxygen may create impoverishment in the quality and quantity of the plankton community. Furthermore, this  annual cycle is regular from year to year showing little fluctuations.

The Levantine Basin, including the Lebanese sector constitute oligotrophic water body, the poorest in the entire Mediterranean. This oligotrophy induce impoverishment in marine resources and thus a low fishery production, despite of high marine biodiversity.
The fishery ground near Alexandria. XVI. Cumacea, stomatopoda, leptostraca by Adolf Steuer (1938).Notes and Memoirs No 26

This is a historical dataset that was published in 1938 by A. Steuer and concerns of the faunistic report on the Cumacea, Stomatopoda and Leptostracacollected during the floristical and faunistical survey of himshelf on the coasts near Alexandria mainly with the vessel “El Hoot”.
This dataset covers the time span of 15/5/1933 to 13/11/1933 and contains occurrence data of Cumacea, Stomatopoda and Leptostraca in the coasts of Alexandria, Egypt. Besides occurence data, this dataset contains individual counts, sex, lifestage and body length. The digitization of this dataset was done by LifewatchGreece team.

12 stations were sampled, 2 of them were planktonic stations.

This dataset is only a part from a large faunistical expedition (http://ipt.medobis.eu/resource?r=egyptexpeditionpreliminaryrepor) that took place in the coasts near Alexandria. The samples were collected by A. Steuer. For bottom samples almost exclusively a dredge with 20x70 cm opening was used. A single catch was made in a depth of 20 m with a large otter trawl in the eastern part of the Bay of Abukir. For plankton samples, vertical hauls were made using medium sized nets with buckets of celluloids with gauze bottom. In general, the motor-launch of the Marine Laboratory "El Hoot" was used for dredging and a rowing boat in shallow water. All excursions were one-day trips. After the expedition, taxonomic identification of the samples was done by specialists. The results of this expedition were published in separate for each taxonomic group volumes. Thus, sampling methods were described in a preliminary report by A. Steuer.
Lowshore macrobenthos assemblages near Porto Santo Stefano

The general goal of this study was to test if assemblages of algae and invertebrates of rocky shores next to marinas are different in taxon composition and abundance compared to reference shores far away from this source of disturbance.
This dataset is about lowshore assemblages on a shore next to a marina (Porto Santo Stefano, NW Mediterranean, 42°26'.11N, 11°07'.03E) and on 3 reference shores (stretches of coast about 30 m long, hundreds of m apart)
2 Areas (Stretches of shore 3-5 m long, tens of m apart) were sampled in each Shore
5 Replicates (visual counts on 20x20 cm quadrates) were sampled in each Area
Sampling was repeated at three different dates
Taxa were identified at the most detailed level of taxonomic resolution achievable by the naked eye by projecting photographs onto a grid
Data are percentage cover (sessile organisms) or number of individuals (mobile animals) of each taxon in each quadrate
Abundance data of planktonic cnidarians collected during the Camadas Finas III survey performed along the North Brazilian continental shelf and open ocean

Abundance data (individuals.100 m-3) of planktonic cnidarians collected during the Camadas Finas III oceanographic cruise along the North Brazilian continental shelf between the Amazon and Oyapok river mouths and equatorial Atlantic oceanic waters between 8°N, 51°W and 3.5°S, 37°W. Data was obtained during the oceanographic cruise Camadas Finas III, aboard the research vessel NHo. Cruzeiro do Sul - H38 (DHN/Brazilian Navy), performed in 9-31 October 2012.
Planktonic cnidarians were sorted from zooplankton samples collected at at 44 stations in oblique hauls, using Bongo nets with 120 and 300 µm mesh and 0.3 and 0.6 m mouth diameter, respectively. The water column was sampled from near the bottom to the surface over the continental shelf and from 200 m to the surface in the offshore. The net was towed at approximately 2 knots, at various times of day and night.