Ongoing data collection for Mooring for Epipelagic Echosounding of Krill (MEEK) deployments

This dataset contains all data collected from Mooring for Epipelagic Echo-sounding of Krill (MEEK) platforms.MEEK moorings are tethered by a mooring string in deep water, with the top float at approximately 400m depth. The minimum depth of a mooring is 350m to avoid collision with icebergs and the maximum depth is 1500m. Moorings are typically deployed in summer months from vessels and are left to collect data for one year (at least).Active acoustic (ADCP and echosounder) data, passive acoustic data, CTD data and video camera footage are available from various instruments installed on the moorings. Active acoustic deployment files, compass calibrations and echosounder calibration files are included. Echosounders were calibrated in a 10,000L tank of temperature-controlled seawater at the Australian Antarctic Division in Kingston, using a 23mm tungsten carbide sphere and a paired Simrad EK80 333kHz echosounder to map the beam. Calibration raw data and code is included to produce Nortek SONAR equation CalibrationOffsetSv for each frequency. Calibration is only available for narrowband frequencies.Data collection began in 2024 and is ongoing.The MEEK moorings are long-line oceanographic moorings designed for year-round observation of krill and associated ecosystem processes in the Antarctic epipelagic zone. Each mooring carries an upward-looking echosounder and ADCP mounted on a top float at ~400 m to monitor krill biomass, vertical migration, and water-column dynamics. A sediment trap positioned below the acoustic package collects sinking particulate material to quantify carbon flux and link pelagic processes with export production. MEEK moorings provide high-resolution, multi-season records that support studies of krill ecology, biogeochemical cycling, and Southern Ocean change. The time series is ongoing and data will be continuously added upon platform retrieval.