Database title: Ecological data from coastal zone sampling campaigns recorded by Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences

Coastal zone is one of the most dynamic marine ecosystem, where numerous environmental stressors shape communities and cause their constant evolution. Effects of climate change like sea level rise and increasing anthropopressure for instance in form of marine pollution, are additional enhancing coastal ecosystem changes. Scientists from Institute of Oceanology PAS has been visiting coastal zone of Svalbard region since 1983, collecting ecological and environmental data. They visited 735 localisation (single station or larger coastal units), where numerous abiotic data were recorded like sea temperature, coast type, sediment type or level of pollution. This data were accompanied with biological samples that allowed for taxonomical assessments. Where it was possible quantitative data were collected providing abundance and biomass information, and a photographic documentation of the localisations was made (1043 photos from 199 localisations). Together 5324 taxonomical records were gathered, concerning 327 unique taxa (229 identified to species level) belonging to macrophytes, fish, macrofauna and meiofauna.