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.

本数据集涵盖所有来自南极磷虾真光层回声探测锚泊（Mooring for Epipelagic Echo-sounding of Krill, MEEK）平台采集的数据。MEEK锚泊系统通过锚泊绳系泊于深水区，其顶部浮标布设水深约为400米。单套锚泊系统的布设最小水深为350米以规避与冰山碰撞，最大布设水深则为1500米。锚泊系统通常于夏季通过科考船布放，并将在原位连续采集数据至少一年。
锚泊系统搭载的各类仪器可产出主动声学数据（含声学多普勒流速剖面仪（Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler, ADCP）与回声测深仪数据）、被动声学数据、温盐深（Conductivity-Temperature-Depth, CTD）数据以及摄像影像资料。本数据集同时包含主动声学布放配置文件、罗盘校准文件与回声测深仪校准文件。
回声测深仪的校准工作于金斯顿的澳大利亚南极局（Australian Antarctic Division）内的10000升控温海水储水槽中开展，采用23毫米碳化钨球体与配套的Simrad EK80型333千赫兹回声测深仪完成波束标定。数据集还包含校准原始数据与配套代码，可用于生成各频率下的Nortek声呐方程校准偏移Sv值（CalibrationOffsetSv）。仅窄带频率提供校准数据。
数据采集工作始于2024年，目前仍在持续进行中。
MEEK锚泊系统属于长线型海洋学锚泊系统，专为南极真光层内的磷虾及其相关生态系统过程的全年观测而研发。每套锚泊系统的顶部浮标处搭载一台朝上安装的回声测深仪与ADCP，用于监测磷虾生物量、垂直迁移行为以及水团动力学特征。声学组件下方安装的沉积物捕集器可收集沉降颗粒物，用于量化碳通量，并关联浮游生态过程与生物碳输出生产。
MEEK锚泊系统可提供高分辨率的多季节观测记录，为磷虾生态学、生物地球化学循环以及南大洋变化相关研究提供支撑。该时间序列观测仍在持续推进，后续将在平台回收后持续补充新增数据。