A series of 6 sets of midwater trawls in Prydz Bay. Each trawl set took place over a 24 hour period to test the extent of diurnal vertical migration in P. antarcticum. Part of the KROCK cruise of Aurora Australis. These data have been incorporated into an 'historical fish database' available for download at the URL given below (Access Database). These data have also been included in the Australian Antarctic Data Centre's Biodiversity database, and have been submitted to GBIF and OBIS (Global Biodiversity Information Facility, and Ocean Biogeographic Information System). The fields in this dataset are: Species Cruise Start Date End Date Sampling Date Vessel Name Fishing Area Latitude Longitude Gear Length Weight Sex Gonad Weight Stomach Weight

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 587 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstracts of some of the referenced papers: The concentration of fluoride in the body parts of a range of Antarctic crustaceans from a variety of habits was examined with the aim of determining whether fluoride concentration is related to lifestyle or phylogenetic grouping. Euphausiids had the highest overall fluoride concentrations of a range of Antarctic marine crustaceans examined; levels of up to 5477 micro grams per gram were found in the exoskeleton of Euphausia crystallorophias. Copepods had the lowest fluoride levels (0.87 micrograms per gram) whole-body); some amphipods and mysids also exhibited relatively high fluoride levels. There was no apparent relationship between the lifestyle of the crustaceans and their fluoride level; benthic and pelagic species exhibited both high and low fluoride levels. Fluoride was concentrated in the exoskeleton, but not evenly distributed through it; the exoskeleton of the head carapace and abdomen contained the highest concentrations of fluoride, followed by the feeding basket and pleopods, and the eyes. The mouthparts of E. superba contained almost 13,000 microgams F per gram dry weight. Antarctic krill tail muscle had low levels of fluoride. After long-term (1 to 5 year) storage in formalin, fluoride was almost completely lost from whole euphausiids. A series of experiments was carried out to determine the relationship between feeding, moulting, and fluoride content in Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). Starvation increased the intermoult period in krill, but had no effect on the fluoride concentrations of the moults produced. Addition of excess fluoride to the sea water had no direct effect on the intermoult period, the moult weight, or moult size. Additions of 6 micrograms per litre and 10 micrograms per litre fluoride raised the fluoride concentrations of the molts produced and of the whole animals. The whole body fluoride content varied cyclically during the moult cycle, reaching a peak 6 days following ecdysis. Fluoride loss at ecydsis could largely be explained by the amount of this ion shed in the moult. This work was completed as part of ASAC projects 41 and 587 (ASAC_41, ASAC_587).

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 106 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstracts of some of the referenced papers: This paper reports the results of the first aerial photographic survey of Adelie penguin colonies in the Prydz Bay region. The area surveyed extended from the northern Vestfold Hills to the Publications Ice Shelf. More than 325,000 pairs of Adelie penguins were estimated to be breeding in this region in 1981/82. The great majority of breeding Adelie penguins occurred in the northern half of the region surveyed, in the Vestfold hills and Rauer Islands, where most colonies were located. This is probably due to the typical pattern of summer sea-ice dispersal, which usually results in sea-ice leaving the northern areas of the coast first. Prydz Bay supports nine seabird species that breed on the Princess Elizabeth Land coast: two penguins, six Procellariiformes and one skua. Information on their diet is reviewed. Apart from the scavenging South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki and Southern Giant Petrel Macronectes giganteus, three diet types were distinguished. First, the Emperor Penguin Aptenodytes forsteri ate almost exclusively fish; secondly the Adelie Penguin Pygoscelis adeliae, Cape Petrel Daption capense, and Wilson's Storm Petrel Oceanites oceanicus consumed at least 60% euphausiid, the remainder largely fish; and thirdly, a diet of greater than 60% fish, the rest euphausiids, was taken by the Southern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialoides, Antarctic Petrel Thalassoica antarctica and Snow Petrel Pagodroma nivea. Seasonal fluctuation in composition of Adelie Penguin, Cape Petrel and Southern Fulmar diet suggested either fluctuating foraging ranges or movement of Euphausia superba inshore during summer months. Annual fluctuation in diet composition was correlated with seabird reproductive success. When E. crystallorophias dominated the euphausiid component of Adelie Penguin diet, reproductive success was high; when E. superba was scarce in Prydz Bay, Antarctic Petrel and Southern Fulmar productivity was low. Breeding phenology, success and nest attendance of Antarctic Petrels Thalassoica antarctica and Southern Fulmars Fulmarus glacialoides at the Rauer Group, East Antarctica, are discussed. Most data were collected on Hop Island in January and February 1988, and from December 1988 to March 1989. Observations extended from the late stages of incubation to post-guard or fledging periods. Some annual breeding indices collected from 1983 onwards at census sites are compared with meteorological data and the extent of fast ice for the nearby Davis Station. Both species had a restricted hatching period, reflecting a brief and synchronised egg-laying period, reflecting a brief and synchronised egg-laying period, typical of other southern fulmarine petrels. Antarctic Petrel chicks hatched from 4 January (1989) and c. 90% appeared by 16 January (both years). Southern Fulmar hatching began on 21 January (1988) and almost all chicks appeared by 6 February (both years). Adult attendance at nests declined with increasing chick age. For Antarctic Petrels, this was most marked at about 11 days; no chicks had continuously attendant adults after 24 days, although adults returned to feed them. Incubation shifts following hatching and the post-guard period started, on average, 13 days after hatching. Egg and chick losses varied between years and sites. The South Polar Skua Catharacta maccormicki was apparently involved in the majority of losses. Nest sites of both species resemble those elsewhere: Southern Fulmars may require steeper sites, allowing a fall away from colonies. Antarctic Petrels are less affected by accumulation of snow or ice and shelter from katabatic winds may be important. Although weather may modify breeding success locally, annual success must depend on the ability of parents to produce eggs and feed chicks: this may be moderated by the extent and persistence of pack ice. Annual chick productivity and breeding success, recorded at four Adelie penguin, Pygoscelis adeliae, colonies at Magnetic Island in eastern Prydz Bay, are presented for the seven breeding seasons 1981/82 to 1987/88. The adult breeding population remained relatively stable during the first 4 years of the study, and increased in hte last 2 years. Substantial annual variation in breeding success occurred over the study period, ranging between an estimated 0.69 and 1.33 chicks surviving until late creche stage per nest for seasons 1985/86 and 1982/83 respectively. Annual patterns of chick productivity in southern fulmar, Fulmarus glacialoides, and Antarctic petrel, Thalassoica antarctica, populations within Prydz Bay were synchronous with those of Adelie penguins. In the years of highest and lowest reproductive performance, prey abundance within the likely foraging areas was correspondingly high and low. Reproductive performance was greatest in years when fast-ice breakout occurred before the end of December (1981/82, 1982/83. 1986/87 and 1987/88) and lowest when the breakout was after (1983/84, 1984/85 and 1985/86) and pack-ice cover persisted within the foraging range of the birds during the chick-rearing period.

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 492 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstracts of the referenced papers: Diatom assemblages in two Holocene sediment cores (GC1 and GC2) from the Mac. Robertson Shelf, East Antarctica, are compared with modern sedimentary diatom assemblages from the same area. Open marine deposition commenced in Iceberg Alley (GC1), on the outer continental shelf, greater than 10.7 adj. 14C kyr BP. Chaetoceros resting spores, which may indicate water-column stabilsation from melting glacial and/or sea ice or the maximum summer sea-ice retreat, dominate the diatom assemblage. Approximately 7.5 adj. 14C kyr BP, a sea-ice diatom assemblage was deposited. This assemblage is similar to that being deposited in the surface sediments of the Mac. Robertson Shelf today and suggests that perennial sea ice has persisted in the vicinity of Iceberg Alley since that time. Interbedded within the sea-ice assemblage, however, are Corethron-rich sediment layers that suggest mid- to late-Holocene high-productivity events associated with a climatic optimum. The diatom record from Nielsen Basin (GC2), on the inner continental shelf, is relatively uniform compared to that in GC1. Glacial ice was present over the region c. greater than 5.6 adj. 14C kyr BP and a dissolution diatom assemblage was deposited beneath it. following ice retreat, an ice-edge diatom assemblage was deposited briefly before sea-ice conditions similar to that on the continental shelf today developed. There is no evidence in GC2 for the mid- to late-Holocene high-productivity events identified in GC1. Four diatom assemblages are identified from the surface sediments of Prydz Bay and the Mac. Robertson Shelf using multivariate analysis. A coastal assemblage is characterised by the sea-ice diatoms Fragilariopsis curta, F. angulata, F. cylindrus and Pseudonitzschia turgiduloides. A continental shelf assemblage is characterised by the open-water diatoms Fragilariopsis kerguelensis, Thalassiosira lenuginosa, T. gracilis var. expecta and Trichotoxin reinboldii. The Cape Darnley assemblage contains both sea-ice and open-water diatoms, but all are characteristically large and heavily silicified. Multiple regression has been used to identify the relationships between the diatom assemblages and known environmental variables. There are strong correlations between the coastal, shelf and oceanic assemblages and ecological conditions, including latitude, sea-ice distribution and ocean currents. The Cape Darnley assemblage is thought to represent an assemblage from which the smaller and more lightly silicified species have been removed by current winnowing. The palaeo-depositional environment of inner Prydz Bay, East Antarctica, has been reconstructed for the past 21,320 14C yr B.P., using diatom assemblages and sediment facies from a short, 352 cm long gravity core. Between 21,320 and 11,650 14C yr B.P., compact tillite and diamicton are present in the core, and diatom frustules are rare to absent. These data suggest that an ice sheet grounded over the site during the last glacial maximum. Following glacial retreat, siliceous muddy ooze was deposited, from 11,650 to 2600 14C yr B.P., in an open marine setting. During this stage, diatom frustules are abundant and well preserved, and Thalassiosira antarctica resting spores and Fragilariopsis curta dominate the assemblage. This assemblage suggests open marine deposition in an environment where the spatial and temporal distribution of sea ice is less than today. Since 2600 14C yr B.P., sea-ice and ice-edge diatom species have become more abundant, and neoglacial cooling is inferred. The assemblage is similar to that forming currently in Prydz Bay, where sea-ice is absent (less than 10% cover) for 2-3 months of the year and permanent ice edge and/or multiyear sea ice remains in close proximity to the site.

Surficial bottom sediments collected from Prydz Bay, Antarctica contain three sedimentary facies, four foraminiferal faunas, and two diatom floras. A sandy diamict (Facies Ds) is deposited by iceberg rafting and reworked by currents of the Prydz Bay Cyclonic Gyre. A massive mud (Facies Mm) represents the sediments being supplied to the Bay and could provide a high resolution record of the Quaternary in Antarctica. A carbonate sand (Facies Cs) is a modern cold water carbonate deposited under special conditions on the outer continental shelf. The presence of planktonic flora and fauna, and variations in sedimentological parameters are consistent with the physical oceanographic evidence for a large cyclonic gyre operating in the Bay. The fields in this dataset are: Sight Device Comments Depth (m) Sample Foram Diatom Percentages of Individual species Number of individuals counted. Plankton

Observations of seabirds at sea have been made by observers on Australian Antarctic ships in the Prydz Bay region during most seasons since 1980/81. Approximately 32000 observations of 26 main species were made from the 1980/81 to 2001/02 seasons. These observations provide a two-decade history of seabird activity in this region of the Antarctic. This project used clustering techniques to identify the communities within the seabird populations. Summary of results We found three distinct communities of seabirds within Prydz Bay. The first comprised all nine species of seabird which breed in the Prydz Bay area (emperor and Adelie penguins, snow, Cape, and Antarctic petrels, southern giant petrels, southern fulmars, Wilson's storm petrel, and south polar skuas). The second comprised those species which breed in sub-Antarctic or temperate regions and forage in Prydz Bay in the summer months (including many species of albatrosses and shearwaters). There was an overlap of these two communities which had a broad mix of species. The spatial and temporal ranges of these communities is given in this data set. The raw data for this dataset was generated through ASAC project 2208 - Distribution and abundance of seabirds in the Southern Indian Ocean, 1980/81+ (ASAC_2208_seabirds). The fields in this dataset are: Year Month Day Hour Minute Voyage Latitude Longitude Assemblage Constancy Fidelity

The body surface, mouth, gills, internal organs and tissues of 368 teleost fish of 26 species from Prydz Bay, Heard Island, Macquarie Island, Davis Station and Casey Station in Antarctica were examined for parasites. At least eight species of Monogenea, seven species of Copepoda, and five or six species of Acanthocephala were recorded. Overall, the fauna of Monogenea and Copepoda of Antarctic fish is much poorer than that of lower latitudes, and there are fewer species of Gyrodactylidae relative to other Monogenea than at higher northern latitudes. Abundance and species richness of Acanthocephala are relatively high.

This dataset represents the collected work arising from ASAC projects 263, 351, 497 and 716 (ASAC_263, ASAC_351, ASAC_497, ASAC_716). The data are pooled together into a single excel file, and presented by year. Descriptions/explanations of acronyms used are given at the bottom of each spreadsheet. One worksheet also details all publications arising from (and related to) the four ASAC projects. The full titles of the four ASAC projects are: ASAC 263: Metamorphic Evolution and Tectonic Setting of Granulites from Eastern Prydz Bay ASAC 351: The Role of Partial Melting in the Genesis of Mafic Migmatites and Orthogenesis within the Rauer islands ASAC 497: Structural and Chemical Processes in Granulite Metamorphism: the Rauer Group and Brattstrand Bluffs Region, Prydz Bay ASAC 716: Archaean Crustal Accretion Histories and Significance for Geological Correlations Between the Vestfold Block and Rauer Group The fields in this dataset are: Archive Collector Sample Number Location Location Code Latitude Longitude Field description Collected for Reported in Comments Type Grid reference Worker