Metadata record for data expected ASAC Project 2382 See the link below for public details on this project. This entry contains: Locations for sampling sites for ASAC project 2382 on voyage 3 of the Aurora Australis in the 2004/5 season, collected between December and February of 2004/5; CTD bottle-derived seawater viscosity data and CTD bottle-derived in vivo fluorescence data. There are four spreadsheet files in this download file. Each spreadsheet file contains several worksheets. 1) I9_Stations.xls: Transect 1 (CLIVAR I9 = 'I9') station and sampling details: CTD stations, CTD profiles, Surface samples. 2) PET_Stations.xls: Transect 2 (Kerguelen Plateau and Princess Elizabeth Trough = 'PET') station and sampling details: CTD stations, CTD profiles. 3) Viscosity.xls: Viscosity data. 4) Fluorescence.xls: In vivo fluorescence data. For all files -999 = missing data A word document details the sampling protocols for viscosity and in vivo fluorescence. Note: ASAC project 2382 operates in direct collaboration with ASAC project 2596 (Three-dimensional microscale distribution and production of plankton populations).

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