Senckenberg Dogger Bank Monitoring Data_Amphipoda_2024

This dataset presents newly collected records of amphipod specimens gathered during the 2024 scientific benthic survey (Cruise DOG24) at the Dogger Bank, North Sea, part of an ongoing annual monitoring effort that has taken place from 1991 to 2024. A total of 8,444 specimens of 14 species belonging to 13 families, 14 genera, and 10 species were identified using morphological methods with Leica M60 and DM750 microscopes. Amphipods, key components of marine benthic ecosystems, were sampled by beam trawl over the Dogger Bank’s stable sandy substrate. This dataset supports a broader research project aimed at (i) developing a taxonomic key for Dogger Bank amphipods, (ii) identifying environmental drivers of species distribution and diversity, and (iii) predicting responses to climate change. Data were structured following the Darwin Core standard.
The Dogger Bank epibenthos is sampled with a 2 m beam trawl at 37 stations on a yearly basis since 1991 by Senckenberg Marine Zoology. At each station, the catch is sieved to preserve the fine fraction (1 cm - 1 mm), while megafaunal animals are sorted, identified and recorded by their abundance on board of RV Senckenberg. The crustacean and Ichthyology collections at Senckenberg Marine Zoology house the fine fractions from these cruises. In this project, we aim to identify the amphipod species composition and relative abundance from these fine fractions. Starting with the analysis of the fine fractions from the year 2024, we will step by step enhance the dataset with identifications of amphipod fine fractions from other years, back until 1991.