Taxon-specific fine-scale distribution, abundance, and environmental affinity of gelatinous zooplankton during Fall, Spring, and Summer in the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2015-10-30 to 2016-07-26

The dataset examines the fine-scale patterns of distribution, abundance, and environmental affinities of different gelatinous zooplankton taxa in three different seasons - Fall (October 30, 2015) Spring (March 30 and April 4, 2016) and Summer (July 26, 2016), along a ~60 km transect south of Perdido Bay, Florida. As part of the CONCORDE field sampling campaign, an in situ imaging system (ISIIS) was used to sample along 3 north to south transects spanning about 54 km. This dataset examines the eastern-most transect for fine-scale distribution, abundances, and environmental affinities of 26 gelatinous zooplankton taxa within five major groups: hydromedusae, ctenophores, siphonophores, salps, and doliolids. Particles above a 2000 pixel size threshold (~3.3 mm equivalent spherical diameter) were automatically extracted and manually identified with the highest taxonomic resolution possible (in many cases, to genus level). The ISIIS collected images of plankton were merged with high-resolution physical oceanographic using the nearest time stamp. The goal of the study was to describe patterns of spatial distribution and abundance, as well as to establish taxon-specific environmental affinities of the gelatinous zooplankton community within and among seasons. This information is useful for understanding potential oil exposure rates for different organisms inhabiting the shelf ecosystem.