Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
10:43
Unraveling the Unseen Players in the Ocean - A Field Guide to Water Chemistry and Marine Microbiology
Published on: November 5, 2014
25.7K
A biological ocean data reformatting effort
Kimberlee Baldry1, Robert Johnson2, Peter G Strutton3,4,5
1Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia. kimberlee.baldry@ga.gov.au.
Scientific Data
|February 16, 2024
Summary
A new BIOlogical ocean data reforMATting Effort (BIO-MATE) creates accessible subsurface bio-physical data aggregates. This open-source R software reformats oceanographic voyage data for improved long-term change documentation and model validation.
Area of Science:
- Oceanography
- Marine Biology
- Data Science
Background:
- Biological ocean data from ships are crucial for understanding long-term changes, validating satellite algorithms, and assessing models.
- Existing aggregated data products often lack subsurface data, physical parameters, or comprehensive biological information.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce the first version of the BIOlogical ocean data reforMATting Effort (BIO-MATE).
- To address the gap in accessible subsurface bio-physical data aggregates.
- To provide a reproducible method for data reformatting.
Main Methods:
- Utilized open-source R software for data reformatting.
- Processed openly sourced, published datasets from oceanographic voyages.
- Integrated biological and physical data from various sensors and analyses (underway, profiling, pigment, particulate organic carbon).
Main Results:
- Developed an interoperable BIO-MATE data product containing reformatted biological and physical data.
- Ensured easy access and usability of the aggregated data.
- Facilitated the application of QA/QC protocols for diverse applications.
Conclusions:
- BIO-MATE establishes a reproducible framework for creating subsurface bio-physical data aggregates.
- The BIO-MATE data product enhances the utility of historical oceanographic data.
- This effort supports a wider range of oceanographic research, from surface to subsurface studies.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30Marine Microbial Ecology
66
Marine microbial ecosystems are shaped by distinct physicochemical limits, including high salinity, low nutrient availability, and fluctuating oxygen levels. These conditions favor smaller microbial cell sizes, which maximize their surface-to-volume ratio for efficient nutrient uptake.Microbial activity and community composition are closely linked to biogeochemical cycles, particularly in dynamic environments like estuaries, where halotolerant microbes thrive in response to variable salinity...
66
01:18Deep Sea Microbial Ecology
53
The deep ocean and its underlying sediments represent vast, largely unexplored microbial habitats that extend far beyond the sunlit photic zone. The photic (euphotic) zone typically spans the upper ~100–200 meters of pelagic waters in the open ocean, but its depth varies geographically and seasonally, where sufficient light supports photosynthetic life. Below this lies the deep sea, spanning roughly 1000–6000 meters (bathypelagic to abyssal zones), with deeper hadal trenches...
53
01:24Freshwater Microbial Ecology
58
Freshwater systems such as streams, rivers, and lakes exhibit distinct physical and biological characteristics that influence their microbial communities. These environments are broadly categorized into lotic systems—those with flowing waters like streams and most rivers—and lentic systems, which include still or slow-moving waters such as lakes, ponds, and marshes.In lentic systems, phytoplankton drive primary production, generating autochthonous organic carbon. In contrast, lotic...
58