Long-running geographically extensive marine ecological survey, providing the 'big picture' on global ocean change
Driven by almost a century of sustained plankton observations, scientific excellence and innovation, the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) Survey is a globally recognised leader on the impacts of environmental change on the health of our oceans.
As a large-scale global survey, it provides the scientific and policy communities with a basin-wide and long-term measure of the ecological health of marine plankton. Established in 1931, the CPR Survey is the longest running, most geographically extensive marine ecological survey in the world. Home to a considerable database of marine plankton and associated metadata that is used by researchers and policy makers to examine strategically important science pillars such as climate change, human health, fisheries, biodiversity, pathogens, invasive species, ocean acidification and natural capital.
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Our focus on the ocean plankton is important. Plankton sustains life on this planet by producing almost half the oxygen we breathe; it is the planet’s second lung.
Plankton are very sensitive to changes in their environment (e.g. temperature and pH) and due to their rapid turnover, they are excellent indicators of change in the marine environment. By monitoring plankton communities across basin scales and over many decades, the CPR Survey provides us with the ability to recognise changes in our marine environment over and above natural variations and trends.
Anthropogenic and global climate pressures on the marine environment are set to increase over the coming decades. Tools such as the CPR Survey help progress our understanding of changes occurring in the marine environment, and are essential to inform appropriate and effective management decisions at local, national and international levels.
Providing the 'big picture' on global ocean change from genes to ecosystems
The CPR Survey is of global importance in progressing understanding of natural variability and human-induced changes in our oceans. It is used by scientists, policy makers and environmental managers across the world. Over the last eight decades the purpose of the Survey has co-evolved with changing environmental policy, from purely monitoring plankton distributions to addressing and providing indicators for major marine management issues, ranging from fisheries, harmful algal blooms, biodiversity, pollution, eutrophication, ocean acidification and climate warming.
Many scientific firsts and insights have developed from examining and interrogating the CPR Survey's extensive time-series. The Survey has provided primary evidence of changes in global ocean biology for the last two IPCC reports and the UN’s first World Ocean Assessment. The results have included the first documented studies of large-scale ecological regime shifts, biogeographic, phenological and trans-arctic migrations in the marine environment in response to climate change.
The CPR Survey's science includes both operational and innovative, blue skies research, directed along four broad science themes:
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
Climate change is one of the greatest societal changes of the 21st Century. The continued collection and interpretation of CPR data provides unique insights into how the marine environment is responding and the potential for future change.
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MARINE BIODIVERSITY
Biodiversity is fundamental for the functioning of the marine ecosystem. The taxonomic richness of the CPR data is a major resource enabling marine researchers to gain insights into the form and function of the ecosystem and how it is changing.
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SUSTAINABLE RESOURCES
Marine bio-resources are increasingly used to support human population growth. The blue-economy is underpinned by bio-resources. CPR Survey science provides valuable insights for effective management strategies.
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HEALTH AND WELLBEING
The health of people and marine sources of food can be compromised by some marine organisms. Harmful algae and bacterial infections appear to be on the increase. New molecular tools and techniques will allow the CPR Survey to contribute to this growth area.
Each theme is highly relevant to emerging scientific questions, marine policy requirements and the main societal concerns on the marine environment, such as:
- Are marine habitats changing?
- Is species diversity changing?
- Are food webs changing?
- Are human pressures changing?
The CPR Survey currently covers 8,000 nautical miles each month, presenting significant opportunities to maximise the monitoring potential of the pelagic environment. The development of new technologies and tools will enable the entire plankton community, from viruses to jellyfish, to be examined using molecular and optical technologies, in addition to instrumented data. Increasing the geographical range and scope of the Survey, particularly into sentinel ecoregions that are hotspots for environmental change, such as the Arctic, are essential in providing a truly global picture of our oceans.
Accessing CPR Survey data
The CPR Survey has an open and transparent approach to data availability, data requests and data citation. The Survey believes its plankton observation, ancillary datasets and associated metadata should be freely available to collaborating researchers. To find out which data are available and for more information accessing CPR Survey data, please visit our data portal at https://www.cprsurvey.org/data/our-data/
Research services we can provide
The CPR Survey offers a broad range of skills and expertise, from genes to entire marine systems. We use a variety of approaches, from the most conceptual (ecological theories) to the most practical (laboratory-based experimentation). These include:
- Provide robust and sensitive indicators of environmental changes
- Offer expertise in time-series analysis and interpretation of climate change impacts, phenology, regime shifts, biodiversity and invasive species
- Expertise in creating, managing and processing large geospatial databases
- Expertise in species distribution and biodiversity modelling
- Expertise in molecular analysis of plankton specimens, including preserved archival samples
- Expertise in bioinformatics analysis of next generation sequencing metagenetic datasets from marine environmental samples
- Phytoplankton and zooplankton
- Including organisms such as bacteria and viruses
- Harmful organisms from pathogenic eukaryotes to harmful algae
- Preparation of environmental assessments using historic datasets
- Development of appropriate planktonic indicators
- Report writing for governmental bodies, NGOs and companies
- Facilitating the application of science in response to specific targeted questions (e.g. for policy/environmental assessments etc.).
IMarEST accredited CPR technical course
This five day practical course is aimed at new technicians from established CPR surveys and scientists/technicians wishing to operate a CPR from a research vessel.
Taking a hands-on approach the course covers:
• preparation of filtering silks
• setting up and maintaining a CPR
• record keeping of CPR tows and samples
• CPR unloading and processing
• sample preservation
This course is available on request, email: CPRSurvey@mba.ac.uk for further information
The CPR Survey International Sample Archive
Collecting today for tomorrow's technology
We hold one of the oldest, most large scale sample archives in the world. Samples collected by the CPR Survey since 1958 are stored and carefully curated, providing a bank of samples available for future analysis using new and innovative methodologies.
During routine plankton analysis, every other sample on a tow is processed by our team of specialist analysts, before being archived. The remaining 50% of the tow is not analysed but archived immediately, resulting in a library of samples available for further/alternative analysis.
The archive is home to all our samples from routine North Atlantic, South Atlantic and North Pacific tows, in addition to one-off cruises, e.g. circumnavigation of the Arctic collected in 2012. Please contact us if you are interested in accessing our International Sample Archive, or would like more information on what is available.
CPR Survey data philosophy
The CPR Survey has an open and transparent approach to data availability, data requests and data citation. The Survey believes its plankton observation, ancillary datasets and associated metadata should be freely available to collaborating researchers. Increasing the number of scientists that can access and work with CPR Survey datasets will accelerate the progress of marine ecological science and understanding; enhancing the societal benefit derived from Survey data.
To find out more about our data, and for information on how to access them, please visit our data portal at https://www.cprsurvey.org/data/our-data/