The Plankton Lifeform Extraction Tool (PLET) brings together separate plankton datasets into one central database and formats the data into pre-defined lifeforms, making it easier for marine biologists to access robust, reliable plankton data.
This data will give a more accurate picture of the spatial and temporal location of ocean plankton and in turn provide data and critical information to inform policy, public interest and scientific discovery.
The online tool, hosted by the Archive for Marine Species and Habitats Data (DASSH) was developed by researchers from 15 partners across Europe.
Lead author Dr Clare Ostle, from the Marine Biological Association, said:
“This has been many years in the making, and it’s great to see it come together. Plankton underpin so many important processes in the marine world, and making that data more user-friendly and accessible is key to answering important questions.”
Plankton form the base of the marine food web, help to regulate the ocean chemistry and provide approximately half of the world’s oxygen.
Because plankton have short life cycles, drift freely in the ocean and have wide distributions, they are sensitive indicators to climate change, and therefore play an important role for scientists monitoring changes in ocean biodiversity.
Although there are a number of programs that monitor plankton, the lack of direct comparison between datasets means that assessing plankton changes has been difficult and limited.