Mesozooplankton abundance, distribution and composition in the Southeastern Beaufort Sea: ArcticNet 2005-2016

Zooplankton herbivorous species play an important role in the channelling of energy and organic matter from the primary producers to higher trophic levels occupied by marine vertebrates. Various other processes involved in the biogeochemical flux of carbon in the ocean are mediated by zooplankton. In the context of climatic chZooplankton herbivorous species play an important role in the channeling of energy and organic matter from the primary producers to higher trophic levels occupied by marine vertebrates and birds. Various other processes involved in the biogeochemical flux of carbon in the ocean are mediated by zooplankton. Moreover, in the context of climatic change, a poleward displacement of southern and temperate zooplankton assemblages from the northeast Atlantic and north Pacific is expected. This will bring the unique Arctic cold specialized zooplankton assemblages under stronger competitive pressure, possibly resulting in species extinction and major disruptions of the Arctic marine ecosystems that need to be investigated. In these perspectives, knowledge of Arctic zooplankton community structure and diversity in different sectors of the Arctic Ocean needs to be improved in order to start monitoring the evolution of these communities over time. This dataset was produced to describe the zooplankton assemblages and their distribution in the Southeastern Beaufort Sea region from 2005 to 2016. Range, a poleward displacement of southern and temperate zooplankton assemblages from the northeast Atlantic and north Pacific is expected. This will bring the unique Arctic cold specialized zooplankton assemblages under stronger competitive pressure, possibly resulting in species extinction and major disruptions of the Arctic marine ecosystems that need to be investigated. In this context, knowledge of Arctic zooplankton community structure and diversity in different sectors of the Arctic Ocean needs to be improved in order to start monitoring the evolution of these communities over time. This dataset was produced to describe the zooplankton assemblages and their distribution in the southeastern Beaufort Sea from 2005 to 2016.

植食性浮游动物（zooplankton）在将能量与有机质从初级生产者传递至海洋脊椎动物与鸟类所占据的更高营养级的过程中发挥着核心作用。海洋碳生物地球化学通量的诸多其他过程同样由浮游动物介导。在气候变化背景下，东北大西洋与北太平洋的南部及温带浮游动物群落预计将发生向极地迁移。这一现象将使独特的北极寒域特化浮游动物群落面临更严峻的竞争压力，可能引发物种灭绝与北极海洋生态系统的严重扰动，相关问题亟待开展研究。有鉴于此，亟需深化对北冰洋不同海域浮游动物群落结构与多样性的认知，以便长期监测这些群落的动态演变。本数据集旨在描述2005至2016年间博福特海东南部海域的浮游动物群落组成及其分布情况。