IMIS

FlowCam imaging data of suspended particulate matter (SPM) and plankton in the Belgian part of the North Sea, collected within the TURBEAMS project. Niskin bottle samples were taken at stations MOW1, W05 and W08 at several depths, with additional sampling in sediment plumes (PAC1BIS, PAC3, TSB, VPR) and at the CODEVCO east and west sites. Samples were imaged with a FlowCam at 4× magnification, covering particles of 50–300 µm ESD, and imaged objects were classified into plankton taxa and non-living particles (sediment, flocs, detritus). Together with the ZooScan dataset, which covers larger particles, the data are used to assess whether plankton imaging tools can characterise the full size and compositional spectrum of SPM, and to relate image-derived particle properties to SPM concentration, turbidity and multibeam backscatter.