Plankton Base grew out of ten years of Antarctic and Arctic fieldwork. Below is a brief tour of what that science has shown — followed by the peer-reviewed papers behind each finding.
Each of these findings comes from the peer-reviewed studies listed further down the page.
During an exceptional bloom on the western Antarctic Peninsula, molecular sequencing revealed that the naked dinoflagellates driving it belong to a previously undescribed species in the Gymnodinium group — a genuinely new organism on the tree of life.
Most Antarctic phytoplankton research happens offshore from research vessels or select research stations. Sampling from expedition ships gives us a more detailed picture of what actually blooms in the nearshore fjords where glaciers meet the sea — and how those communities shift through the season.
A preliminary evaluation of the FjordPhyto project found that giving travellers a hands-on role in Antarctic research deepened their sense of connection to the polar environment and made the science more meaningful — for visitors, expedition staff, and the research team alike.
Travelers on expedition vessels — trained and supported by scientists on board — can generate peer-review-quality oceanographic data at a scale no single research cruise could. This is the framework Plankton Base carries forward.
Plankton Base publishes data openly so it can be used by scientists, educators, and communities worldwide.
Our open data supports the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, advancing SDG 14: Life Below Water.
The Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON), a UN Ocean Decade programme, uses biomolecular data like ours to understand how ocean life is responding to change.
The Southern Ocean Observing System (SOOS) coordinates long-term observation of the Southern Ocean, and our time-series data helps fill nearshore gaps.
IPY5 (2032–33) will advance polar research and climate understanding. Our participatory model and open dataset are designed to contribute directly to that global effort.
You'll see us say our data is "open-source" and follows "FAIR" principles. In plain language: open-access means the front door is unlocked and there's no cover charge — anyone can read, download, and share the data. FAIR means that once you walk in, the library is actually organized, the books are in a language everyone speaks, and the pages aren't glued together.
Our datasets are free of charge, free of paywalls, and free of restrictive copyright. A polar researcher in Argentina, a high-school teacher, or a curious traveler all have the legal right to read, download, and reuse them.
A global scientific standard that makes data genuinely usable — not just posted online. Every dataset we publish is built to be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable by both humans and machines.
Open data, papers, theses, films, exhibits, talks, and press — a decade of polar plankton science.
Occurrence records, sequences, and data files live in public repositories for anyone to reuse.
Species occurrence records from our Antarctic and Arctic nearshore sampling, searchable alongside global biodiversity data.
Genetic sequence data from environmental DNA samples, archived as BioProject PRJNA1314243.
Archived data files and supplementary material published alongside our papers (doi:10.5061/dryad.w0vt4b909).
Most recent first. Key studies carry a tag.
Student research built on this dataset.
Recipient of the UC San Diego Inaugural Innovation Award. The public defense is recorded and free to watch.
The doctoral defense was held and recorded in Spanish.
Built on samples collected by the Hearts in the Ice explorers overwintering in Svalbard.
How participating in science changes what travellers take home from Antarctica.
The survey instrument Brooke designed produced the program's first social-science publication (Cusick, Dixon et al., 2025, The Polar Journal).
A phytoplankton identification guide for non-scientists. Five years in the making, and winner of a Phycological Society of America award in 2024.
Conference talks, public lectures, and recorded sessions.
Organised by Steve Mandel, a FjordPhyto traveller who spent six years of his retirement on plankton photography.
The shipboard genetics program, featured on Viking's own channel.
When the science leaves the lab.
An interactive installation bringing Antarctic phytoplankton to human scale: around 2,000 scanned specimens from the expedition informed procedurally modeled 3D plankton, animated in an interactive ecosystem projected onto a data-informed, iceberg-like metal sculpture. As viewers approach, the phytoplankton dissolve. Fulfilling work for his master's degree; not recorded.
A generative digital artwork grown from diatom forms.
A documentary short about the drifting life that feeds the ocean, told through the people who sample it.
Plankton on prime time.
Six years of retirement spent photographing diatoms, beautifully.
Bringing polar science into classrooms.
Four years of bringing polar, participatory, and NASA ocean science to high-school and undergraduate students in Puerto Rico.
Three online education modules plus an immersive 360° Antarctic field trip built from footage shot on expedition.
Four consecutive years of undergraduate study-abroad expeditions sampling alongside the science team.
Selected coverage.
