South East Fishery (SEF) Ecosystem Study 1993-1996: Phytoplankton Pigment Data

This record describes pigment data collected as part of the 1993-1996 South East Fishery Ecosystem Study undertaken by CSIRO Division of Fisheries. Pigment samples were taken from plankton net samples and from the sediment sampler on a benthic sled, deployed on seven transects across the continental shelf in eastern Bass Strait, south-west Victoria, and south-west NSW waters. Data were collected in July 1993 (cruise SS 05/93), August 1994 (cruise SS 05/94), April 1996 (cruise SS 02/96) and November 1996 (cruise SS 06/96). Samples were later analysed in the laboratory for presence and concentrations of chlorophyll compounds and their breakdown products. These data will be used to determine the origin of primary production and the nature of its decomposition process within the ecosystem.