| Summary: | The data include abundances of phytoplankton and zooplankton taxa retained by the Continuous Plankton Recorder which collected plankton samples as it was towed behind a merchant ship on a great circle transect from Vancouver, Canada to Japan. Several transects were occupied during 2002-2009. 2009 data are also from a transect from Juan de Fuca Strait to Cook Inlet. The samples each represent 18.5km of tow and have been processed according to routine CPR protocols as directed by the Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science (SAHFOS) which operates and maintains the CPR survey. The midpoint of each sample is allocated a position and time based on information on deployment and recovery times from the ship's log. This data also includes an augmentation that enhances the existing PICES Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) program by providing observation data of marine birds and mammals along a 7,500 km east-west CPR transect. Data were collected aboard a platform of opportunity (M/V Skaubryn). Due to the large size of the M/V Skaubryn, modifications were made to the standardized marine bird survey techniques (Tasker et al. 1984, Buckland et al. 1993). Species-specific detection and identification curves revealed that the optimal strip-width for this vessel was 400m (Hyrenbach et al., submitted). Marine mammals were recorded using line transect techniques; sightings from the centerline to the horizon were recorded, and the radial distance and the angle from the track were estimated (Heinemann 1981, Buckland et al. 1993).
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