Zooplankton were collected with a Rectangular Midwater Trawl (RMT 8+1 net) from 37 sampling sites on and near the Southern Kerguelen Plateau. The contents of each net were preserved in 5% buffered formaldehyde. This dataset covers the counts of the contents of the RMT8 net and includes the abundances for the euphausiid Thysanoessa macrura and the salp Salpa thompsoni. The contents were identified and counted under a Leica M165C stereo-microscope. A flow meter attached to the mouth of the RMT 8 was used to record the volume of seawater passing through the net. The count for Thysanoessa macrura includes the total of all developmental stages. For the salps abundances are shown for the 2 developmental phases - solitary individuals and aggregates.

Krill, salps and pteropods were collected with an RMT8 net during the K-Axis cruise. Specimens were removed from the samples, measured and frozen at -20C until ready for analysis in Hobart. Individuals of known species were dried at -60C, ground to a fine powder, encapsulated into tin cups and analysed with an ICP-MS in the Central Science Laboratories, University of Tasmania. Samples were analysed for delta15N and delta13C. The salp was the common Southern Ocean species Salpa thompsoni and the krill were Euphausia superba, E. triacantha, E. frigida and Thysanoessa macrura. A small number (2) of the siphonphore Diphyes antarctica were also analysed. Pteropods analysed included both shelled (thecosomes) and naked (gymnosomes) pteropods. Columns E-O in the Pteropods worksheet in the spreadsheet are expressed as ratios.

These data have been collected as part of ASAC (AAS) project 3046 on voyage 3 of the Aurora Australis in the 2011-2012 season. Data were collected from a series of RMT Trawls conducted from the trawl deck of the ship. Public Description of the Project The overall objective is to characterise the response of Southern Ocean calcareous zooplankton to ocean acidification resulting from anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Simulated increases in anthropogenic CO2 suggest a reduction in the calcification rates of calcareous organisms. A change in the calcification in the Southern Ocean may cause marine ecosystem shifts and in turn alter the capacity for the ocean to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. We plan to take advantage of naturally-occurring, persistent, zonal variations in Southern Ocean primary production and biomass to investigate the effects of CO2 addition from anthropogenic sources on Southern Ocean calcareous zooplankton communities. A download file containing an excel spreadsheet of data can be found at the provided URL. Project objectives: The overall objective of this project is to characterise the impacts of recent, primarily anthropogenic, increases in atmospheric CO2 and related changes in the carbonate chemistry on shell formation by calcareous zooplankton in the Australian sector of the Southern Ocean. Calcareous zooplankton (e.g. planktonic foraminifera and pteropods) will be collected using plankton nets at five Southern Ocean localities during high seasonal flux periods. Planktonic foraminiferal and pteropod species and abundances, calcification rates and geochemistry (stable isotope and trace-metal) will be determined on plankton tow samples. Data from recent plankton tow samples will be compared with data deposited historically in the Southern Ocean and recovered from existing deep ocean sediment cores to provides insights about the extent to which modern carbon conditions may have already generated ecological impacts. The project will also provide a baseline of the present-day impact of ocean acidification and can be used to monitor the influence of future anthropogenic CO2 emissions in Southern Ocean ecosystems.