Although zooplankton was extensively studied in the North Sea, knowledge about winter zooplankton assemblages is still scarce, despite potential influence of zooplankton overwintering stocks on seasonal plankton succession and productivity. Furthermore, several economically and ecologically important fish species reproduce during winter contributing to the zooplankton community as passive members (eggs) or predators (larvae). To shed some light on winter zooplankton distribution, abundance and composition in the Southern North Sea and Eastern English Channel, we defined assemblages based on mesozoo- and ichthyoplankton data sampled between January and February 2008 using fuzzy-clustering and indicator species. Mesozoo- and ichthyoplankton (eggs+larvae) were integrated in a common analysis by using a spatial grid adapted to the datasets and defined by means of a geostatistical method developed in agronomics. Potential environmental drivers of assemblage distribution were evaluated by means of GLMM and comparison with data from 2022 facilitated insight about the inter-annual representativeness of the assemblages. Five zooplankton assemblages were found varying with regard to total zooplankton abundance, dominant and indicator taxa. Spatial variability of abiotic (dissolved nutrients, salinity, depth, temperature, organic matter in suspension, chlorophyll a), biotic variables (phyto- and microplankton composition), water masses and fish spawning grounds were revealed as potential drivers of assemblage distribution. Assemblages off the Rhine-Scheldt estuary and in the German Bight harbored the biggest zooplankton overwintering stocks that might influence the grazing pressure on phytoplankton spring production. Assemblages off the Rhine-Scheldt estuary and covering the English Channel and the Southern Bight were found to be of high importance for herring and plaice larvae. Although further analyses suggested inter-annual representativeness of the assemblages found (2008 vs 2022), the assessment of further years would be necessary to account for potential inter-annual variability. Future studies could profit from the assessment of microzooplankton facilitating insight in fish larvae feeding potential and zooplankton overwintering strategies. Important Note: This submission has been initially submitted to SEA scieNtific Open data Edition (SEANOE) publication service and received the recorded DOI. The metadata elements have been further processed (refined) in EMODnet Ingestion Service in order to conform with the Data Submission Service specifications.

The mooring was deployed on 15 September 2017 from Norwegian Research Vessel Lance at 80.6°N and 7.26°E (depth of 730 m) in the Yermak Pass over the Yermak Plateau north of Svalbard. It comprised 3 instruments: an upward-looking RDI 75kHz, a Long Ranger Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) at 340 m with 16 m vertical resolution (25 bins of 16 m each) and a 2-hour sampling time; a Seabird SBE37 measuring temperature, salinity and pressure at 348 m with 10-minute sampling time; and an Aquadopp current meter at 645 m with a 2-hour sampling time. The mooring was retrieved on the 19 July 2020 by Norwegian Icebreaker K.V. Svalbard. The present dataset features: The ADCP 50-hour high pass filtered velocities and  the Aquadopp 50-hour high pass filtered velocities. Important Note: This submission has been initially submitted to SEA scieNtific Open data Edition (SEANOE) publication service and received the recorded DOI. The metadata elements have been further processed (refined) in EMODnet Ingestion Service in order to conform with the Data Submission Service specifications.

As part of a Horizon 2020 JERICO-NEXT Transnational Acess project, sea surface variables (S, T, chl, O2) and macronutrient concentrations were measured by the M/S Color Fantasy FerryBox between Oslo (NO) and Kiel (DE) between January and April 2019. Important Note: This submission has been initially submitted to SEA scieNtific Open data Edition (SEANOE) publication service and received the recorded DOI. The metadata elements have been further processed (refined) in EMODnet Ingestion Service in order to conform with the Data Submission Service specifications.

The dataset comprises macronutrient (nitrate, phosphate, silicate, ammonia/ammonium) data collected on RRS James Clark Ross cruise 200 around the Scotia Sea and South Georgia in the Southern Ocean. The data were collected using CTD rosette water bottles and the ship's non-toxic seawater supply with an intake depth about 6 - 7 m between 22 February and 17 April 2009 as part of an integrated ecosystem analysis. They form part of a more extensive dataset collected over 30 years, between 1980 and 2009, by the British Antarctic Survey.

The dataset comprises macronutrient (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, ammonia/ammonium) data collected on RRS James Clark Ross cruise 25 around South Georgia and the Maurice Ewing Bank in the Southern Ocean. The data were collected using CTD rosette water bottles and the ship's non-toxic seawater supply with an intake depth about 6 - 7 m between 21 October and 14 November 1997 as part of an integrated ecosystem analysis. They form part of a more extensive dataset collected over 30 years, between 1980 and 2009, by the British Antarctic Survey.

The dataset comprises macronutrient (nitrate, phosphate, silicate, ammonia/ammonium) data collected on RRS James Clark Ross cruise 177 around the Scotia Sea and South Georgia in the Southern Ocean. The data were collected using CTD rosette water bottles and the ship's non-toxic seawater supply with an intake depth about 6 - 7 m between 30 December 2007 and 16 February 2008 as part of an integrated ecosystem analysis. They form part of a more extensive dataset collected over 30 years, between 1980 and 2009, by the British Antarctic Survey.

The dataset comprises macronutrient (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, ammonia/ammonium) data collected on RRS James Clark Ross cruise 38 around South Georgia and the Maurice Ewing Bank in the Southern Ocean. The data were collected using CTD rosette water bottles and the ship's non-toxic seawater supply with an intake depth about 6 - 7 m between 16 December 1998 and 12 January 1999 as part of an integrated ecosystem analysis. They form part of a more extensive dataset collected over 30 years, between 1980 and 2009, by the British Antarctic Survey.

The dataset comprises macronutrient (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, ammonia/ammonium) data collected on RRS James Clark Ross cruise 28 around South Georgia and the Maurice Ewing Bank in the Southern Ocean. The data were collected using CTD rosette water bottles and the ship's non-toxic seawater supply with an intake depth about 6 - 7 m between 14 January and 07 February 1998 as part of an integrated ecosystem analysis. They form part of a more extensive dataset collected over 30 years, between 1980 and 2009, by the British Antarctic Survey.

The dataset comprises macronutrient (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, ammonia/ammonium) data collected on RRS James Clark Ross cruise 17 around South Georgia and the Maurice Ewing Bank in the Southern Ocean. The data were collected using CTD rosette water bottles and the ship's non-toxic seawater supply with an intake depth about 6 - 7 m between 12 December 1996 and 05 January 1997 as part of an integrated ecosystem analysis. They form part of a more extensive dataset collected over 30 years, between 1980 and 2009, by the British Antarctic Survey.

The dataset comprises macronutrient (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate, ammonia/ammonium) data collected on RRS James Clark Ross cruise 82 around the Scotia Sea and South Georgia in the Southern Ocean. The data were collected using CTD rosette water bottles and the ship's non-toxic seawater supply with an intake depth about 6 - 7 m between 05 January and 24 February 2003 as part of an integrated ecosystem analysis. They form part of a more extensive dataset collected over 30 years, between 1980 and 2009, by the British Antarctic Survey.