Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder (AusCPR) Survey Notes

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder (AusCPR) survey, sampling methodology, instruments, and environmental monitoring objectives.

AusCPR

The Australian Continuous Plankton Recorder survey; a long-term marine monitoring program within the Australian Plankton Survey – Integrated Marine Observing System that collects plankton and environmental data along routes using ships of opportunity.

Ships of opportunity

Commercial, private, or non-research vessels (such as cargo ships, passenger liners, and fishing boats) that volunteer to collect oceanographic and meteorological data during their regular commercial journeys.

Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR)

A robust sampling instrument measuring about $1\,\text{m}$ in length and weighing approximately $85\,\text{kg}$, designed to capture plankton across extensive ocean distances onto continuously moving bands of filter silk.

CPR towing specifications

Operational conditions where the recorder is towed behind a vessel on a $10\,\text{mm}$ diameter wire rope at an operating depth of $5\text{--}10\,\text{m}$ and at speeds of up to $25\,\text{knots}$.

CPR silk sample division

The laboratory procedure in which the retrieved filter silk from the Continuous Plankton Recorder is divided into segments representing $10\,\text{nautical miles}$ for standardized analysis.

Effects of ocean warming and stratification

Climatic changes that result in major alterations to phytoplankton abundance, distribution, and seasonal fluctuations.

Objectives of the AusCPR survey

Key program goals including mapping plankton biodiversity, documenting community shifts caused by climate change, detecting harmful algal blooms, providing indices for fisheries management, validating remote sensing, and initializing ecosystem models.