Seasonality of mesozooplankton abundance and vertical distribution in the Arctic Kongsfjord (Svalbard) , Norway

These data provide the first year-round zooplankton observation in Kongsfjorden. Sampling was carried out in the deepest accessible part of the fjord, weather permitting.

Stratified samples were taken from bottom to surface (if weather conditions allowed: at depthclasses of 0 to 50 m, 50 to 100 m, 100 to 200 m, 200 to 300 m, 300 to 350 m), and were collected with a modified Apstein closing net (0.2 m2 mouth opening, 100 µm mesh).Sampling occurred either from R/V Jan Mayen (University of Tromsø vessel), a Norwegian coastguard vessel (R/V Lance), R/V Oceania (Polish Academy of Science, Sopot), a rubber dinghy, or from the ice through a drilled hole.