Overview
Zooplankton net-tow sample registry from the SIO Pelagic Invertebrate Collection, scoped to CalCOFI-program expeditions. Position, time, depth, and gear metadata per tow. Includes the historical grid (1950s-80s inshore, Gulf of California and Baja lines), not just the modern pattern. Biovolume measurements are not in the source file and are pending from the provider (see Questions for Data Providers).
Open with the provider
- Q08 — proposed
Access
Every endpoint this dataset can be reached through, grouped by how you would use it. Every URL is in the release record and answered when the release was cut.
Explore
Apps that read this dataset from the release. A row marked “this dataset” opens with it already selected.
https://calcofi.io/explore/?datasets=sio_pic-zooplankton
https://app.calcofi.io/station/?dataset=sio_pic-zooplankton
https://app.calcofi.io/hex/?datasets=sio_pic-zooplankton
https://app.calcofi.io/cruise/?datasets=sio_pic-zooplankton
Query
SQL against the release itself, in the browser — nothing to install and nothing downloaded until a query asks for it. __TBL:sample__ resolves to the pinned release’s parquet.
-- sio_pic-zooplankton in the CalCOFI release v2026.09.05
SELECT *
FROM __TBL:sample__
WHERE dataset_key = 'sio_pic-zooplankton'
LIMIT 100;https://calcofi.io/db-query/?sql=--+sio_pic-zooplankton+in+the+CalCOFI+release+v2026.09.05%0ASELECT+%2A%0AFROM+__TBL%3Asample__%0AWHERE+dataset_key+%3D+%27sio_pic-zooplankton%27%0ALIMIT+100%3B#sql-shell--shell
Code
The same release, from a script.
con <- calcofi4r::cc_get_db()
calcofi4r::cc_cite("sio_pic-zooplankton")con = calcofi4py.cc_get_db()
calcofi4py.cite("sio_pic-zooplankton")Get the data
Every way to have the bytes, by source. Nothing here asks you to register first.
CF netCDF
One self-describing file, for a tool that reads netCDF.
how far this file is CF
Fully CF: each row is an independent observation with its own time and position, which is a CF point collection. Rows are at the OCCURRENCE grain (event x taxon x life stage x depth), not the event grain, so a sample with many taxa contributes many points.
https://storage.calcofi.io/calcofi-files-public/netcdf/sio_pic-zooplankton/v2026.09.04/sio_pic-zooplankton.nc
ERDDAP (erddap.calcofi.io)
One ERDDAP dataset per grain, each with its own data formats and its own pages. Subset in the browser or query it from a script.
- sampling events
- one row per cast, tow or transect — when, where and how it was sampled
Legacy ids, still answering until 2026-12-04: calcofi_zooplankton (replaced by sio_pic-zooplankton)
Metadata records
Records about the data, in the standards each portal harvests.
https://erddap.calcofi.io/erddap/metadata/iso19115/xml/sio_pic-zooplankton_sample_iso19115.xml
https://erddap.calcofi.io/erddap/metadata/fgdc/xml/sio_pic-zooplankton_sample_fgdc.xml
https://calcofi.io/datasets/sio_pic-zooplankton.jsonld
https://calcofi.io/datasets/sio_pic-zooplankton.json
https://calcofi.io/data.json
https://calcofi.io/stac/#/collections/sio_pic-zooplankton/collection.json
Archives & portals
Where this dataset is registered outside calcofi.io, by the identifier each portal knows it as.
https://erddap.calcofi.io/erddap/info/sio_pic-zooplankton/index.html
https://data.caloos.org/#module-metadata/81f12914-825b-499c-8aad-33b34ec29c93/2301d387-2347-4632-aa3d-afc45a39bec3
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22281994
https://coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov/erddap/tabledap/erdCalCOFIzoovol.html
Everything here is open — nothing on calcofi.io asks you to register first. If this dataset ends up in something you build or publish, register your use so it can be credited and linked back; to hear when a release changes it, stay informed. Questions: data@calcofi.io.
Cite
The provider has not confirmed a citation for this dataset yet. Cite the release below, and name the dataset by its key.
SIO PIC Zooplankton Net Tows [dataset].BibTeX
@misc{sio_pic-zooplankton,
title = {SIO PIC Zooplankton Net Tows}
}…and the release it came from
CalCOFI (2026). CalCOFI Integrated Database, release v2026.09.05 [Data set]. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Fisheries, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife. https://calcofi.io/db-schema/?v=v2026.09.05BibTeX
@misc{calcofi_release_v2026_09_05,
title = {CalCOFI Integrated Database, release v2026.09.05},
author = {CalCOFI},
year = {2026},
publisher = {Scripps Institution of Oceanography, NOAA Fisheries, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife},
url = {https://calcofi.io/db-schema/?v=v2026.09.05}
}