During the Trans-Antarctic Expedition 1955-1958, the distribution of phytoplankton in the southern ocean and Ross Sea was investigated from fifty-seven samples taken at roughly 30-mile intervals between southern New Zealand and McMurdo Sound. The greatest diversity of species occurred between 55° and 60°S, just north of the Antarctic Convergence. Maximum concentration was found at 70° to 72°S, where Corethron crioplhilum was profoundly dominant. A predominately sub-Antarctic assemblage between 52° and 64°S was dominated by nine species not found in significant quantities elsewhere in the series of samples. Only two of these extended in appreciable numbers into the Ross Sea. Six of the commonest species ranged from sub-Antarctic waters southwards across the Antarctic Convergence, and two were not recorded north of the Ross Sea.

The biological data from the IPY-CAML voyage (TAN0802) by the R/V Tangaroa is available as an Darwin Core archive through the Southwestern Pacific OBIS IPT node. The TAN0802 voyage departed from Wellington, New Zealand, on 26 Jan 2008 and returned to Wellington, New Zealand, on 21 Mar 2008. The survey was concentrated mainly in the Ross Sea and the waters around Scott Island and the Balleny Islands. Biological data were collected using a variety of gear, including: bottom trawls, beam trawls, epibenthic sleds, van Veen grabs, rosette water bottles and MOCNESS tows.

Biological observation data from plankton surveys around New Zealand and the south western Pacific. This dataset records all biological specimens collected during plankton sampling including fish, larvae, and eggs. Note that this dataset does not include data from Constant Plankton Recorders.