MBON Pole to Pole Data Atlas

The MBON Pole to Pole of the Americas network spans from the Arctic to Patagonia, linking regional biodiversity observing programs along both Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the Western Hemisphere. The network collects standardized rocky intertidal and sandy beach biodiversity data, making those observations directly comparable across thousands of kilometers of coastline.

All data are shared openly through the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) and through the MBON Data Portal .

Standardized field methods

Each Pole to Pole node uses a shared set of protocols developed collaboratively across the network:

• Photo-quadrats of rocky intertidal communities, processed with image analysis tools to quantify cover and species composition
• Sandy beach transect surveys tracking macroinfauna across the swash zone
• Environmental DNA (eDNA) water sampling following NOAA AOML Omics protocols, enabling detection of species not captured by visual surveys

This standardization means a biodiversity observation made at a site in Baja California can be directly compared to one made in Uruguay — enabling large-scale analysis of latitudinal gradients, climate responses, and long-term change across the full span of the Americas.

Open data

All observations are published to OBIS in standardized Darwin Core format. Visit the Pole to Pole OBIS collection to explore available datasets, download records, and link to individual node data providers.