This dataset contains the data from Voyage 6 1990-91 of the Aurora Australis. The observations were taken from the Prydz Bay area, Antarctica in January and February 1991. Taxonomic identity and abundance data were obtained, together with an extensive range of pigment analysis. Over 60 pigments are analysed (only the major ones are listed here). The major phytoplankton investigated were diatoms, dinoflagellates and flagellates. This dataset is a subset of the full cruise.

Some scanning electron microscope images were taken of dinoflagellates sampled as part of this project. A catalogue of the images taken is provided as part of the download file at the provided URL. The images are currently held by the Electron Microscope Unit of the Australian Antarctic Division, but have not yet been entered into their electron microscope database (as at the 30th of April, 2004). From the abstracts of the referenced paper: The abundance and biomass of ciliates, dinoflagellates and heterotrophic and phototrophic nanoflagellates were determined at three sites along an ice-covered Antarctic fjord between January and November 1993. The water column showed little in the way of temperature and salinity gradients during the study period. In general, the protozooplankton exhibited a seasonal variation which closely mirrored that of chlorophyll a and bacterioplankton. The fjord mouth, which was affected by the greatest marine influences, consistently had the highest densities of ciliates and the most diverse community, with up to 18 species during the sampling period. Small aloricate ciliates were present throughout the year with Strobilidium spp. being dominant during the winter. Larger loricate and aloricate ciliates became more prominent during January and November, along with the autotrophic ciliate Mesodimium rubrun and two mixotrophic species (Strombidium wulffi and a type resembling Tontonia) suggesting evidence of species successions. Data on dinoflagellates were less extensive, but these protists showed greatest species diversity in the middle reaches of the fjord. A total of 13 species of dinoflagellate were recorded. Ciliates made a significant contribution to the biomass of the microbial community in summer, particularly in the middle and at the seaward end of the fjord. In winter, heterotrophic flagellates (HNAN) and phototrophic nanoflagellates (PNAN) were the dominant component of protistan biomass. In terms of percentage contribution to the microbial carbon pool, bacteria dominated during winter and spring. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first seasonal study of an Antarctic fjord. The Ellis Fjord is very unproductive compared to lower latitude systems, and supports low biomass of phytoplankton and microbial plankton during most of the year. This relates to severe climatic and seasonal conditions, and the lack of allochthonous carbon inputs to the system. Thus, high latitude estuaries may differ significantly from lower latitude systems, which generally rank among the most productive aquatic systems in the world. The fields in this dataset are: EMU Image Number Fiona Scott Image Number Species SEM Stub Number Location Collector

This dataset contains results from the Second International BIOMASS Experiment II (SIBEX II) cruise of the Nella Dan, taken in January 1985. This cruise was the fourth cruise in a series of six. Phytoplankton samples were taken off Antarctica in the Australian sector (Mawson to Davis region) and Prydz Bay in January 1985. Taxonomic identity, distribution and abundance data were obtained, together with an extensive range of pigment analysis, using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Over 60 pigments were analysed (only the major ones are listed here). The major phytoplankton investigated were diatoms, dinoflagellates and flagellates. This dataset is a subset of the full cruise. An excel spreadsheet containing the full pigment analysis obtained from the cruise is available for download from the URL given below. The spreadsheet is a digital version of the data presented in ANARE Research Notes 58, which was a report written based on this dataset. There are three worksheets to the spreadsheet: 1) Abbrev. - details the abbreviations used in worksheets 2 and 3. 2) Table 3 - Table 3 data entered from ANARE Research Notes 58. 3) Transposed Table 3 - The same data as worksheet 2, but arranged differently. A pdf copy of ANARE Research Notes 58 is also available for download at the URL given below. A paper written in 2006 about pigments in microalgae, which provides some up-to-date explanations about pigmentation, is also available for download, but owing to copyright restrictions, is only available for download by Australian Antarctic Division personnel. The fields in this dataset are: Date Time (GMT) Latitude Longitude Depth (metres) Pigment concentration (nanograms per litre) chlorophyllide a chlorophyll c methyl chlorophyllide a phaeophorbide a peridinin 19'-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin fucoxanthin 19'-hexanoyloxyfucoxanthin Neoxanthin Prasinoxanthin Violaxanthin Diadinoxanthin Alloxanthin diatoxanthin Zeaxanthin Canthaxanthin Unknown Chlorophyll b Chlorophyll a allomer Chlorophyll a Chlorophyll a epimer Phaeophytin a derivative Phaeophytin b Phaeophytin a Chlorophyll a total % Degradation Pigment total This work was completed as part of ASAC project 40 (ASAC_40).