Antarctic sea ice is known to store key micronutrients, such as iron, as well as a suite of less studied trace metals in winter which are rapidly released in spring. This stimulates ice edge phytoplankton blooms which drive the biological removal of climatically-important gases like carbon dioxide. By linking the distribution of iron and other trace elements to the cycles of carbon, nitrogen and silicon in the sea ice zone in spring, this project will identify their biogeochemical roles in the seasonal ice zone and how this may change with predicted climate-driven perturbations.

All sampling bottles and equipment were decontaminated using trace metal clean techniques. Care was taken at each site to select level ice with homogeneous snow thickness.

At all the stations, the same sampling procedure has been used :

Firstly, snow was collected using acid cleaned low density polyethylene (LDPE) shovels and transferred into acid-cleaned 3.8 l LDPE containers (Nalgene). Snow collected is analysed for temperature, salinity, nutrients, unfiltered and filtered metals. Snow thickness is recorded with a ruler.

Ice cores were collected using a noncontaminating, electropolished, stainless steel sea ice corer (140 mm internal diameter, Lichtert Industry, Belgium) driven by an electric power drill. Ice cores were collected about 10 cm away from each other to minimise between-core heterogeneity.

A first core is dedicated to the temperature, salinity and Chlorophyll a (Chla). To record temperature, a temperature probe (Testo, plus or minus 0.1 degrees C accuracy) was inserted in holes freshly drilled along the core every 5 to 10 cm, depending on its length. Bulk salinity was measured for melted ice sections and for brines using a YSI incorporated Model 30 conductivity meter. Chla is processed on board using a 10 AU fluorometer (turner Designs, Sunnyvale California). All those data, read from the screens instruments are directly inserted in the spreadsheet 'Notebook SIPEX-2' in the '4051 Lannuzel' folder. The total length of this core is cut in sections of 7 cm. The second core is dedicated to the POC/PON (Particulate Organic Carbon/ Particulate Organic Nitrogen), DOC (Dissolved Organic Carbon) and nutrients. Six sections of 7 cm are taken from this core. The six sections were chosen so that two top, two intermediate and two basal sections. Two cores are taken for the trace metal analysis. Those cores are directly triple bagged in plastic bags (the inner one is milli-Q washed) and frozen at -20 degrees C until analysis at the laboratory.

Brine samples were collected by drainage from "sack holes". Brines and under ice seawater (~1 m deep) were collected in 1 l Nalgene LDPE bottles using an insulated peristaltic pump and acid cleaned C-flex tubing (Cole Palmer). All samples were then transported to the ship as quickly as possible to prevent further freezing. Those samples are used to analyse unfiltered and filtered metals, Chla, POC/PON, nutrients and DOC. Filtration for filtered metals is done on board using a peristaltic pump and a 0.2 micron cartridge filter.

All the unfiltered and filtered metals collected are acidified (2 ppt HCl seastar) and stored at room temperature until analysis at the laboratory.

Nutrients, DOC and filters for POC/PON are frozen at -20 degrees C until analysis.

Chla filtrations and analysis are done on board.

Auxiliary cores/brines/underlying seawater were also collected for Caitlin Gionfriddo (caitlingio@gmail.com, Uni. Melbourne) for total mercury (Hg) and methyl-Hg. caitlingio@gmail.com Auxiliary cores/brines/underlying seawater were also collected for Caitlin Gionfriddo (caitlingio@gmail.com, Uni. Melbourne) for total mercury (Hg) and methyl-Hg.

Also included in this dataset are typed field notes.