ZooSCAN images of zooplankton collected with MOCNESS tows during six R/V Atlantic Explorer cruises in the northwest Atlantic (Sargasso Sea) from 2021 to 2023

This dataset consists of the raw ZooSCAN images taken of zooplankton caught in the upper 600m using Multiple Opening-Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) tows during day- and night-time. These samples were collected over two years, with three cruises a year to capture distinct seasons. The goal of this data was to assess high-resolution vertical distribution of zooplankton in order to distinguish diel vertical migrators from resident populations and to quantify contributions to particulate organic carbon flux via fecal pellet production. Project description: The oceanic biological carbon pump refers to the export of dissolved and particulate organic carbon to the deep ocean, and it is a significant driver of atmospheric carbon uptake by the oceans. Evidence from long-term research carried out at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site suggests that the spectrum of particles collected by gel-traps below the euphotic zone changes drastically below 150 m, which is attributed to resident populations of zooplankton that feed on vertically migrating zooplankton as well as sinking particles. The goals of this study are to investigate the role of different zooplankton taxa on both particle aggregate formation and in particle transformation, and to compare and characterize the particles generated by the zooplankton communities with those collected by particle traps.本数据集包含使用多开闭式网与环境感知系统（Multiple Opening-Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System，MOCNESS）在昼夜时段开展拖网作业，采集自上层600米海域的浮游动物原始ZooSCAN扫描图像。样本采集工作历时两年，每年开展3个航次以覆盖不同季节。本数据集的研究目标为解析浮游动物的高分辨率垂直分布特征，以区分昼夜垂直洄游类群与定居种群，并量化浮游动物通过粪球粒产生对颗粒有机碳通量的贡献。 项目概况： 海洋生物碳泵是指溶解态与颗粒态有机碳向深海的输运过程，是海洋吸收大气碳的核心驱动机制之一。百慕大大西洋时间序列研究（Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study，BATS）站点的长期研究证据显示，透光层下方凝胶捕集器采集的颗粒光谱在150米以深发生显著变化，该现象由以垂直洄游浮游动物及沉降颗粒为食的定居浮游动物种群所导致。本研究的目标为探究不同浮游动物类群在颗粒聚集体形成与颗粒转化过程中的作用，并对比表征浮游动物群落产生的颗粒与颗粒捕集器采集的颗粒特征。