Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters, Version 2
Abstract:
The Marine Biodiversity Hub has released the second version of a suite of field manuals to ensure that data collected by marine sampling platforms at different times and places across Australia are directly comparable. The Marine Sampling Field Manuals for Monitoring Australia’s Marine Waters support the national-scale monitoring and observing of Australia’s marine environment. With more than 136 contributors from 53 agencies, the manuals include information on marine survey design, pre-survey planning, gear deployment and retrieval, and data management. They provide consistent, defensible methods for collecting data that can be compared with other regional and national collections and are endorsed by researchers, managers, and technicians from multiple agencies with a variety of experience and subject-matter expertise. Major updates for Version 2 include a new online platform for accessibility and version control, a new manual on Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs), and a merger of the multibeam manual with national guidelines developed by AusSeabed.
The Marine Biodiversity Hub has developed a suite of field manuals to ensure that data collected by seafloor-sampling platforms at different times and places across Australia are directly comparable.