Plankton make up the largest reservoir of biomass in the world's oceans and play a significant role in the transfer of energy and materials within the oceanic ecosystems. Access and insight into the world’s collection of historical and ongoing plankton monitoring data is essential for evaluating ecosystem health and for detecting changes in these ecosystems. The COPEPOD project offers access to a variety of raw plankton data sets, prepared data products, and visualization and analysis tool kits.
Coastal and Oceanic Plankton Ecology, Production, and Observation Database
The COPEPOD project was started in 2004 to integrate the vast collection of zooplankton data from NOAA Fisheries’ ecosystem monitoring programs into a U.S.-wide, and subsequently, global database of zooplankton and phytoplankton abundance, biomass, and composition. COPEPOD features hundreds of data sets from NOAA Fisheries, international, and historical plankton sampling efforts. Regional compilation and global gridded products are also available from these data.
Explore the COPEPOD Global Plankton Database
Interactive Time-Series Explorer Toolkit and Database
The COPEPOD Interactive Time-Series Explorer (COPEPODITE) is both an online toolkit and a database for plankton and marine ecological time series from around the world. It has a broad collection of standard graphics and analysis tools, which users can apply to their own uploaded data.
Explore COPEPODITE data and tools
Ecosystem Data and Visualization Tools
NAUPLIUS ties together data and visualization components from the COPEPOD, COPEPODITE, and ECHO projects, creating a view of the whole ecosystem from hydrography to biology.
Learn more about NAUPLIUS ecosystem data and visualization tools
NOAA Fisheries Ecosystem Monitoring Programs
International Cooperation
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Scientists sample for pollock. Credit: NOAA Fisheries
NOAA Administrator, Dr. Richard Spinrad, Dick Jones of Blue Ocean Mariculture, and NOAA Fisheries Assistant Administrator, Janet Coit, at Seafood Expo North America in March 2022. Credit: NOAA Fisheries.
Big fin squid. Credit: NOAA
King salmon spawning in a Pacific Northwest river. Credit: randimal