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  • This study employs data from two satellite-borne instruments namely, the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) and the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS). This work was completed as part of an honours project under ASAC project 2210 (UV climate over the Southern Ocean south of Australia, and its biological impact). Further information about the project is available in the word document available for download (extract from the honours thesis). The fields in this dataset are: Region Year Day (Julian Day) Pixels (number of cloud free pixels from SeaWiFS sensor that were available for analysis) Mean Chlorophyll (milligrams per cubic metre) (derived from cloud free pixels) Standard Deviation Ozone (dobson units) from the TOMS sensor (average for whole region).

  • Size fractionated chlorophyll a data (total and less than 20 µm) analysed using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Underway samples were taken using a seawater line in the oceanographic lab on RSV Aurora Australis (approx. depth 4 m). CTD samples were taken using Niskin bottles attached to a CTD rosette. Six depths were sampled per station, based on fluorescence profiles from the CTD. Two of the two of six samples always included both near-surface (approximately 10 m) and the depth of the chlorophyll maximum where applicable. HPLC analyses were conducted according to the method of Wright et al. (2010). Column chlorophylls (µg L-1) and integrated chlorophylls (mg m-2) are shown in two separate tabs within the Excel spreadsheet.

  • The variation in the phytoplankton biomass over a decadal time scale, and its relationship with the Antarctic Circumpolar Wave (ACW) and climate change, has been poorly interpreted because of the limited satellite chlorophylla (chl a) data compared with the physical parameters from satellite. We analysed a long-term chl a dataset along the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) cruise tracks since 1965 to investigate inter-annual variation of phytoplankton biomass. In the Southern Ocean, increasing trends of chl a and the spreading of higher chl a area to the north with 3-7 year cycles were found. Although relationships between the decadal change in chl a and climate change such as variation of sea ice extent and the El Nino are still obscure, large variation of primary production in proportion to the chl a is implied. The chl a concentration of sea surface water has been measured routinely on board the icebreakers Fuji and Shirase during almost every cruise of the JARE. The download file contains chlorophyll a data collected from ship tracks on JARE voyages between 1965 and 2002. The field in this dataset are: Date (local time) Year Latitude Longitude Corrected Chlorophyll a See the attached paper for more details. The publications on the data collected during the 1965-1976 and 1988-1993 cruises are listed in Fukuchi [1980] and Suzuki and Fukuchi [1997], respectively. For data on the 1977-1985 and 1994-1997 cruises, see [Kanda and Fukuchi, 1979; Fukuchi and Tamura, 1982; Tanimura, 1981; Watanabe and Nakajima, 1983; Ino and Fukuchi, 1984; Sasaki, 1984; Hamada et al., 1985; Fukuda et al., 1986; Hattori and Fukuchi, 1988; Midorikawa et al., 2000]. Data post 1998-2002 cruises is in Hirawake and Fukuchi [2004]. Data from the 1986-1987 will be published in the JARE data report of digital media, including all cruise data. Auxiliary Material for paper 2004GL021394 Long-term variation of surface phytoplankton chlorophyll a in the Southern Ocean during 1965-2002. Toru Hirawake, Tsuneo Odate and Mitsuo Fukuchi (National Institute of Polar Research, Tokyo) Geophys. Res. Lett., Vol (Num), doi:10.1029/2004GL021394 All of the chl a data have been reported in the publications of the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR).

  • The Antarctic Fast Ice Algae Chlorophyll-a (AFIAC) dataset is a compilation of currently available sea ice chlorophyll-a data from land-fast sea ice (i.e., excluding pack ice (see ASPeCt-Bio, Meiners et al. 2012)) cores collected at circum-Antarctic locations during the period 1970 to 2015. Data come from peer-reviewed publications, field-reports, data repositories and direct contributions by field-research teams. During all campaigns the chlorophyll-a concentration (in micrograms per litre) was measured from melted ice-core sections, using standard procedures, e.g., by melting the ice at less than 5 degrees C in the dark; filtering samples onto glassfibre filters; and fluorometric analysis according to standard protocols [Holm-Hansen et al., 1965; Evans et al., 1987]. Ice samples were melted either directly or in filtered sea water, which does not yield significant differences in chlorophyll-a concentration [Dieckmann et al., 1998]. The dataset consists of 888 geo-referenced ice cores, consisting of 5718 individual ice core sections, and including 404 full vertical profiles with a minimum of three sections. Samples/sections from the remaining cores represent: i) bottom 0.05 m only (n= 32), ii) bottom 0.1 m only (n = 301), complete cores (n = 66), as well as intermittent profiles (n = 85) with at least 3 sections but gaps in-between them. For questions about this dataset please contact: Klaus Meiners and Martin Vancoppenolle This data compilation was carried out under the auspices of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research - ASPeCt program and the Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR) working group on Biogeochemical Exchange Processes at the Sea-Ice Interfaces (WG-140). It also contributes to SCOR WG-152 on Measuring Essential Climate Variables in Sea Ice (ECV-Ice). An update to this dataset was submitted in September, 2018.

  • Locations of sampling sites for ASAC project 40 on Voyage 7 of the Aurora Australis, 1993-1994 - SHAM samples. Public Summary from the project: This program aims to determine the role of single celled plants, animals, bacteria and viruses in Antarctic waters. We quantify their vital role as food for other organisms, their potential influence in moderating global climate change through absorption of CO2 and production of DMS, and determine their response to effect of climate change. For more information, see the other metadata records related to ASAC project 40 (ASAC_40). The fields in this dataset are: Sample # Filename Date CTD # Latitude Longitude Depth (m) Temperature (degrees C) Chlorophyll a (micrograms per litre)

  • This is a parent metadata record for work carried out as part of ASAC/AAS project 40. See the child metadata records for further information. More than 95% of the biomass in the Southern Ocean is microscopic - single celled plants, animals, bacteria and viruses. We are studying the factors that control their distribution and abundance - oceanographic and seasonal conditions, their physiology, and grazing - in order to model their vital roles as food for other organisms and their influence in moderating global climate change through absorption of CO2 and production of DMS. We are also addressing the changes expected in microbial communities through effects of climate change - global warming, sea ice retreat, ocean acidification and enhanced ultraviolet radiation. This project aims to determine the role of microorganisms in the Southern Ocean. The major objectives are to: * Identify and quantify key protistan components of the Southern Ocean ecosystem and study their autoecology. * Identify environmental and ecological processes that control abundance of key microbial components. * Determine interactions between key microbial components to quantify major pathways of carbon flow. * Determine the activity and viability of bacterioplankton and protists in the Southern Ocean. * Distinguish different microbial communities by identifying key taxa and associations so that processes such as primary production, respiration, grazing and particle flux can be readily parameterised in ecological models. * Determine the effect of elevated CO2 concentrations on microbial populations and processes. Taken from the 2008-2009 Progress Report: Progress against objectives: 1. Ongoing sampling from Astrolabe has continued, with 3 return voyages being sampled for phytoplankton species, chlorophyll a and other pigments, coccolithophorid counts and DNA profiles, in conjunction with measurements of CO2, ocean structure, fluorescence and ocean colour by CSIRO / CRC colleagues. 2. Three sets of minicosm experiments were conducted at Davis station with 7 staff spending 4.5 - 5.5 months on site. These experiments consistently found that acidification caused blooms of nanoplanktonic diatoms and increased bacterial activity, apparently by inhibition of microheterotroph grazers, at the expense of larger cells that are more readily ingested by grazers such as krill. We showed for the first time in Antarctic waters that pCO2 affects the structure and function Antarctic microbial communities in a way that may reduce food availability to large grazers. Over 100 cultures of "winners and losers" from such experiments were isolated and returned to Australia. These will form the basis for further physiological experiments including molecular assays. 3. Submission and acceptance of 8 papers from the BROKE-West cruise (5 as senior author). These showed the interactions between bottom-up (micronutient) top-down (grazing) control in structuring microbial populations in the marginal ice zone. Five biogeographic zones were identified on the basis of species composition, and the productivity was measured for each zone. Microzooplankton grazing experiments found that grazing within that microbial loop consumed a significant proportion of new productivity. In some areas later in the season, all productivity was consumed by microheterotrophs, rather than metazoans such as krill. A time sequence was identified for seeding and development of components of ice edge blooms, subsequent grazing and decline and a mechanism postulated for export of micronutrients (e.g. iron) by grazing and sedimentation that prevents subsequent development of surface water blooms and constrains populations to a deep chlorophyll maximum below the level of a nutricline. 4. Detailed analysis of greater than 30 strains of keystone species Emiliania huxleyi of two morphotypes in conjunction with Clara Hoppe (Masters student, Alfred Wegener Institute) and Suellen Cook (PhD student, University of Tasmania) showed consistent differences between strains in terms of pigmentation, responses to light and genetics. The two morphotypes appear to be adapted to different mixing regimes north and south of the Polar Front; the southern form may represent a new species. For a full list of references associated with this project, see the project link at the provided URL.

  • The distribution and abundance of ice-associated copepods in the fast ice of the Australian Antarctic Territory were investigated over a distance of approximately 650 km between October and December 1995. The six sites where collections were made were: offshore from Mawson station, Larsemann Hills (including Nella Bay), Rauer Islands (ice edge near Filla Is), O'Gorman Rocks and Bluff Island near Davis Station, and Murphy Rocks in the northern Vestfold Hills. Ice cores were obtained using SIPRE ice augers. Five to ten cores were collected along transects several km in length. Thickness of sea ice and snow cover were measured at each sampling site. Chlorophyll a concentrations were determined for each core. Copepods were isolated from the melted core water and identified and counted. Zooplankton tows were also made at each site where cores were collected. Nine species of copepods were identified from the cores. However, of these, only three were recorded regularly: Paralabidocera antarctica, Drescheriella glacialis and Stephos longipes. The abundance of copepods ranged between 0 and 147/L. The highest densities were recorded at the Larsemann Hills and the lowest at Murphy Rocks. Within the cores, the highest abundances were found in the bottom 10 cm of ice, irrespective of the species. Chlorophyll a concentrations ranged between 0.9 and 373 mg/m3. Data available: excel files containing sampling dates, sampling sites and abundances (number per L) of three dominant sea ice copepods, Paralabidocera antarctica, Drescheriella glacialis, Stephos longipes. Data are presented for developmental stages (nauplii, copepodites and adults) where available. Totals are also provided. Vertical distribution in some cores is also provided. Chlorophyll a concentrations (ug/L) provided for most sites. Detailed information about each of the spreadsheets is provided below: The chlorophyll spreadsheet shows chlorophyll concentrations for 5 sites in the AAT. The column headings are: core - reference number of the core collected subsection - depth in the core in cm volume - vol of melted core water volume added - 1 L of filtered seawater for melting % original - amount of total that core water represents (i.e. minus the 1L added) aliquot - volume subsampled for chlorophyll analysis acetone - amount added (mL) for extraction 750, 664, 647, 630 - wavelengths where absorbance was measured chloro a - amount of chlorophyll a in the sample ug/L - chloro a expressed as a concentration The spatial spreadsheet shows species abundances of three copepods at 4 sites N1 to NVI - nauplius stage 1 to 6 of a species CI to CVI - copepodite stage 1 to 6 of a species F or M - female or male of copepodite stage 5 or 6 1,1 etc - cores 1 and 2 from site 1 within a major location (e.g. 2 cores close together in the Larsemann Hills) The temporal spreadsheet shows abundances over time at 2 sites (O'Gorman Rocks, Bluff Is) near Davis and two species (Paralabidocera antarctica and Drescheriella glacialis) on several sampling dates N1 to N3 - total nauplii in each of three cores (i.e. not separated into stages as above) C1 to C3 - total copepodites A1 to A3 - total adults Then at the bottom are the means of each three cores.

  • Locations of sampling sites for ASAC project 40 on Voyage 1 of the Aurora Australis, 1995-1996 - HI-HO, HI-HO samples. Public Summary from the project: This program aims to determine the role of single celled plants, animals, bacteria and viruses in Antarctic waters. We quantify their vital role as food for other organisms, their potential influence in moderating global climate change through absorption of CO2 and production of DMS, and determine their response to effect of climate change. For more information, see the other metadata records related to ASAC project 40 (ASAC_40). The fields in this dataset are: CTD # Station # Latitude Longitude Date Time (UTC) Depth (m) Volume Filter Sample # Filename Chlorophyll a (micrograms per litre)

  • This dataset contains locations of sampling sites for ASAC project 40 on voyage 3 of the Aurora Australis in the 2004/2005 season. Samples were collected between December and February of 2004/2005. It also contains information on chlorophyll, carotenoids, coccolithophorids and species identification and counts. Public Summary from the project: This program aims to determine the role of single celled plants, animals, bacteria and viruses in Antarctic waters. We quantify their vital role as food for other organisms, their potential influence in moderating global climate change through absorption of CO2 and production of DMS, and determine their response to effect of climate change. For more information, see the other metadata records related to ASAC project 40 (ASAC_40). There are three spreadsheets in this download file - one for the CLIVAR I9 transect, and another for a survey in the region of the Princess Elizabeth Trough. A third spreadsheet contains pigment data. Each spreadsheet contains several worksheets. PET - CTD Station details, CTD profiles, CTD Surface Samples. I9 - CTD Station details, CTD profiles, CTD Surface Samples, Transect Surface Samples. CLIVAR_CTD_Pigs_CHEMTAX - Pigment data: Concentrations of various pigments (ug/L) analysed by HPLC (see protocol); Interpretation: Interpretation of pigment data using CHEMTAX to estimate the amount (ug/L) of chlorophyll a present in a range of algal types. There is also a word document detailing some of the HPLC procedures used. The fields in this dataset are: Station Latitude Longitude Time (Universal Time) Sounder depth Sounder offset Bottles Depths (dB) Label Fmax Tmin HPLC Fluorescence FCM Visc/TEP Phyto ID Lugols Glut Bacteria Water Temperature Salinity Conductivity Net Sample Depth (m) Species Chlorophyll a Pigments HPLC

  • Antarctic marine diatoms are sensitive to environment change. This project will determine the environmental niches occupied by key diatom species in Antarctic sediments. This will allow climate changes in the past to be interpreted from Holocene sediments and future changes in diatom biogeography to be predicted. Environmental manipulation and competition experiments using diatoms will identify the response of key taxa to environment modification. Understanding the environmental factors governing their distribution and natural variability will provide a basis to interpret palaeo-environment records, and allow predictions how this temperature-sensitive ecosystem will respond to future change. Diatoms for the experiments were collected in 2002 (Aurora Australia, Voyage 1) and 2003 (Aurora Australis, Voyage 1). On each occasion water from the ship's online seawater tap was filtered through a 20 micrometre plankton net for up to one hour into a sample jar. A portion of the sample was preserved in lugol's iodine for later phytoplankton analysis, and the rest of the sample maintained alive in the dark in seawater at a constant low temperature. The live sample is maintained at the AAD for culturing and environment manipulation and competition experiments. Project 2302 Twenty-two water samples were collected from 24/10/02 to 11/11/02, in open seawater between 53 degrees 50 degrees S and 65 degrees 50 degrees S. At each site, the following were recorded from the ship's data logger: latitude, longitude, date, UCT time, local time, water depth, salinity, water temperature, chlorophyll A, UV radiation, and conductivity.