Diveboard - Scuba diving citizen science observations

Study Extent

The dataset covers recorded observations made during scuba dives performed by members of the Diveboard community. As such there is no specific geographic or temporal study extent, although most dives logged on Diveboard were conducted in well known divespots, such as reefs and wrecks. In a later phase, specific surveys might also be logged on Diveboard.

Sampling

Observations are not recorded with a specific goal in mind and only reflect what the diver has noticed during the dive. Divers rarely conduct a full inventory of a dive spot, so the observed species only represent part of the occurring species at the time of the dive. There is a sampling bias for known, interesting, noticeable and/or rare species.

Quality Control

The Diveboard application restricts divers to only record species found in the Encyclopedia of Life (http://eol.org). As such, all observations are linked to an EOL page in the field taxonID. It is important to note that the data are not validated by specialists.

Method steps

1. Event and location conditions (date, time, depth, etc.) are often logged automatically by the dive computer. This data can be imported or manually added by the diver in the Diveboard application, while observed species are added manually. These actions can be done just after surfacing, as the Diveboard application is available online and as a mobile app, which allows divers to record their dive even if no internet connection is available.

The dataset covers animals (and very few plants) observed during scuba dives performed by members of the Diveboard community. Close to 80% of the observations are fishes (Actinopterygii and Elasmobranchii). Diveboarders can log their dives online, including the species they observed, using the Encyclopedia of Life (http://eol.org) as a checklist. Most of the observations are identified to species level, though some caution regarding the identifications is appropriate. In case of doubt, the observer/identifier can be contacted via the references field, which references his/her Diveboard profile.

1. Animalia
   rank: kingdom
2. Actinopterygii
   common name: ray-finned fishes rank: class
3. Elasmobranchii
   common name: sharks, rays & skates rank: class
4. Crustacea
   common name: Crustaceans rank: subphylum
5. Anthozoa
   rank: class
6. Cnidaria
   rank: phylum
7. Mollusca
   rank: phylum
8. Echinodermata
   common name: Echinoderms rank: phylum
9. Chordata
   rank: phylum
10. Testudines
    rank: order
11. Reptilia
    rank: class
12. Plantae
    rank: kingdom
13. Rhodophyta
    rank: phylum

Diveboarders are everywhere on the planet!