Twenty-two thousand Common Era benthic foraminifera from the Santa Barbara Basin

Here we provide an image and 2D shape dataset of recent benthic foraminifera from two core records sampled from the center of the Santa Barbara Basin that span an ~800-year-long interval during the Common Era (1249-2008 CE). Information on more than 36,000 objects is included, of which more than 22,000 are complete or partially damaged benthic foraminifera. Skeletonized objects classified also include planktonic foraminifera, ostracods, pteropods, diatoms, radiolarians, fish teeth and skeletal structures, shark dermal denticles, and benthic foraminifer test fragments. The image dataset was produced using a high-throughput imaging method (AutoMorph) designed to extract 2D data from photographic images of fossils. This repository contains 8 distinct data types uploaded as distinct files, and includes the following:

1. bulk_images.zip: Bulk images with objects identified by segment boxed in red
2. individual_images.zip: EDF images of individual objects within the dataset
3. identification_files.zip: Classifications for individual objects, including both general categories and species-specific classifications (when possible) for benthic foraminifera
4. cleaning_scripts.zip: Directory containing R scripts used to clean object category misspellings or inconsistencies
5. outline_images.zip: EDF images of objects successfully extracted for 2D outlines and measurements; included for quality control. This includes one text file (unextracted_objects_2D.txt) listing objects with failed extractions
6. 2d_coordinates.zip: CSV files containing all extracted outline coordinates for each of the samples imaged, a text file of failed 2D extractions (unextracted_objects_2D.txt), and a summary CSV file including coordinates for all extracted objects (all_coordinates.csv)
7. 2d_properties.zip: 2D measurements for all objects
8. metadata_tables.zip: Tables 1, 2, and 3 and Supplementary Table 1 from a forthcoming data descriptor publication, describing sample metadata, including site coordinates, sample names, object information, and summary statistics

The dataset we provide here comprises the most extensive publicly available archive of benthic foraminiferal morphology and 2D morphological variation to date.