Large volumes of water (200 - 500 L) were filtered and fractionated by size for various planktonic components: eukaryotic phytoplankton, prokaryotic picoplankton, and marine viruses. Sample sites were chosen to generate the widest diversity, and included planktonic blooms, oligotrophic zones, small polynyas near sea ice, nearshore areas, and Antarctic bottom water from coastal, canyon and deepwater areas. Half of each sample will be used for DNA library construction, and the other half will be used for meta-proteomic analysis. Random shotgun sequencing of the marine genomic libraries should produce a metagenomic snapshot of planktonic life in a variety of marine habitats. This work was completed as part of ASAC project 2899 (ASAC_2899).

Particulates in the water were concentrated onto 25mm glass fibre filters. Light transmission and reflection through the filters was measured using a spectrophotometer to yield spectral absorption coefficients. Data Acquisition: Water samples were taken from Niskin bottles mounted on the CTD rosette. Two or three depths were selected at each station, using the CTD fluorometer profile to identify the depth of maximum fluorescence and below the fluorescence maximum. One sample was always taken at 10m, provided water was available, as a reference depth for comparisons with satellite data (remote sensing international standard). Water sampling was carried out after other groups, leading to a considerable time delay of between half an hour and 3 hours, during which particulates are likely to have sedimented within the Niskin bottle, and algae photoadapted to the dark. In order to minimise problems of sedimentation, as large a sample as practical was taken. Often so little water remained in the Niskin bottle that the entire remnant was taken. Where less than one litre remained, leftover sample water was taken from the HPLC group. Water samples were filtered through 25mm diameter GF/F filters under a low vacuum (less than 5mmHg), in the dark. Filters were stored in tissue capsules in liquid nitrogen and transported to the lab for analysis after the cruise. Three water samples were filtered through GF/F filters under gravity, with 2 30ml pre-rinses to remove organic substances from the filter, and brought to the laboratory for further filtration through 0.2micron membrane filters. Filters were analysed in batches of 3 to 7, with all depths at each station being analysed within the same batch to ensure comparability. Filters were removed one batch at a time and place on ice in the dark. Once defrosted, the filters were placed upon a drop of filtered seawater in a clean petri dish and returned to cold, dark conditions. One by one, the filters were placed on a clean glass plate and scanned from 200 to 900nm in a spectrophotometer equipped with an integrating sphere. A fresh baseline was taken with each new batch using 2 blank filters from the same batch as the sample filters, soaked in filtered seawater. After scanning, the filters were placed on a filtration manifold, soaked in methanol for between 1 and 2 hours to extract pigments, and rinsed with filtered seawater. They were then scanned again against blanks soaked in methanol and rinsed in filtered seawater. Data Processing: The initial scan of total particulate matter, ap, and the second scan of non-pigmented particles, anp, were corrected for baseline wandering by setting the near-infrared absorption to zero. This technique requires correction for enhanced scattering within the filter, which has been reported to vary with species. One dilution series was carried out at station 118 to allow calculation of the correction (beta-factor). Since it is debatable whether this factor will be applicable to all samples, no correction has been applied to the dataset. Potential users should contact JSchwarz for advice on this matter when using the data quantitatively. Not yet complete: Comparison of the beta-factor calculated for station 118 with the literature values. Comparison of phytoplankton populations from station 118 with those found at other stations to evaluate the applicability of the beta-factor. Dataset Format: Two files: phyto_absorp_brokew.txt and phyto_absorp_brokew_2.txt: covering stations 4 to 90 and 91 to 118, respectively. Note that not every station was sampled. File format: Matlab-readable ascii text with 3 'header' lines: Row 1: col.1=-999, col.2 to end = ctd number Row 2: col.1=-999, col.2 to end = sample depth in metres Row 3: col.1=-999, col.2 to end = 1 for total absorption by particulates, 2 for absorption by non-pigmented particles Row 4 to end: col.1=wavelength in nanometres, col.2 to end = absorption coefficient corresponding to station, depth and type given in rows 1 to 3 of the same column. This work was completed as part of ASAC projects 2655 and 2679 (ASAC_2655, ASAC_2679).

Metadata record for data from ASAC Project 288 See the link below for public details on this project. From the abstract of the referenced paper: In January-February 1991, in Prydz Bay, phytoplankton bloom was evident in the inner shelf area with the dominant diatoms being represented mainly by pennate species of the Nitzschia-Fragilariopsis group. Dinoflagellates and naked flagellates were most abundant in the centre of the bay; however, larger heterotrophic species prevailed at the southern stations. Cell carbon values (average 317 micro grams per litre; range 92-1048 micrograms per litre) found in the bloom in the south were chiefly due to pennate diatoms and larger heterotrophic dinoflagellates. Much lower carbon values (average 51 micro grams per litre; range 7-147 micro grams per litre) in the outer shelf region were mainliy contributed by large centric diatoms (70-110 micro metres) and small dinoflagellates (5-25 micro metres). Wide ranges of algal cell sizes were observed in both southern and northern communities; the overlapping of sizes of diatoms and flagellates, the latter containing heterotrophs, suggested complex trophic relationships within the plankton and an enhanced heterotrophic activity in the south. North-to-south variations in surface delta 13 C of suspended particulate organic matter (SPOM), (range -31.85 to -20.12 parts per thousand) were directly related to the concentration of particulate matter: this suggested the effect of biomass, and thus of dissolved CO2 limitation on carbon fractionation. Three types of species assemblages were distinguished, corresponding to different narrow ranges of delta 13 C values (-20.12 to -22.37 parts per thousand; -24.50 to -26.65 parts per thousand; -29.73 to -31.85 parts per thousand); dominant species within each assemblage are the likely major determinants of the carbon isotopic composition and variation of SPOM. Pennate diatoms, such as Nitzschia curta and N. subcurvata appear to have made the major imprint on the highest delta 13 C values. Phaeocystis, naked flagellates, autotrophic dinoflagellates and centric diatoms are likely to have caused the lower delta 13 C values of SPOM. It appears that variations in both biomass concentration and in phytoplankton species composition have contributed to the carbon isotopic values of SPOM in Prydz Bay.

This dataset comprises of an excel spreadsheet of data collected on the CLIVAR-SR3 cruise in November to December 2001. The spreadsheet contains plankton and carbon data. From the abstract of the referenced publication: Variations of phytoplankton assemblages were studied in November-December 2001, in surface waters of the Southern Ocean along a transect between the Sub-Antarctic Zone (SAZ) and the Seasonal Ice Zone (SIZ; 46.9-64.9 degrees S; 142-143 degrees E; CLIVAR-SR3 cruise). Two regions had characteristic but different phytoplankton assemblages. Nanoflagellates (less than 20 microns) and pico-plankton (~2 microns) occurred in similar concentrations along the transect, but were dominant in the SAZ, Sub-Antarctic Front (SAF), Polar Front Zone (PFZ) and the Inter-Polar Front Zone (IPFZ), (46.9-56.9 degrees S). Along the entire transect their average cell numbers in the upper 70 m of water column, varied from 300,000 to 1,100,000 cells per litre. Larger cells (greater than 20 microns), diatoms and dinoflagellates, were more abundant in the Antarctic Zone-South (AZ-S) and the SIZ (60.9-64.9 degrees S). In AZ-S and SIZ diatoms ranged between 270,000 and 1,200,000 cells per litre, dinoflagellates from 31,000 to 102,000 cells per litre. A diatom bloom was in progress in the AZ-S showing a peak of 1,800,000 cells per litre. Diatoms were dominated by Pseudo-nitzschia spp., Fragilariopsis spp., and Chaetoceros spp. Pseudo-nitzschia spp. outnumbered other diatoms in the AZ-S. Fragilariopsis spp. were most numerous in the SIZ. Dinoflagellates contained autotrophs (eg Prorocentrum) and heterotrophs (Gyrodinium/Gymnodinium, Protoperidinium). Diatoms and dinoflagellates contributed most to the cellular carbon: 11-25 and 17-124 micrograms of carbon per litre, respectively. Small cells dominated in the northern region characterised by the lowest N-uptake and new production of the transect. Larger diatom cells were prevalent in the southern area with higher values of N-uptake and new production. Diatom and nanoflagellate cellular carbon contents were highly correlated with one another, with primary production, and productivity related parameters. They contributed up to 75% to the total autotrophic C biomass. Diatom carbon content was significantly correlated to nitrate uptake and particle export, but not to ammonium uptake, while flagellate carbon was well correlated to ammonium uptake, but not to export. Diatoms have contributed highly to particle export along the latitudinal transect, while flagellates played a minor role in the export. This work was completed as part of ASAC project 1343 (ASAC_1343). The fields in this dataset are: Station (depth, position, date, comments) Species Cells per millilitre cell carbon - micrograms per litre

These data contain results from grazing dilution experiments conducted during BROKE-West. Experiments were conducted at 22 locations on the BROKE-West transect. Data are presented in an excel spreadsheet containing sample collection information (longitude, latitude, UTC date and time, depth), experiment details (incubation time, dilution series), experiment results (chlorophyll a, bacterial concentrations, heterotrophic flagellate concentrations, phytoplankton concentrations, microzooplankton concentrations, geometric mean predator density, phytoplankton growth rates, microzooplankton grazing rates for bacteria and phytoplankton, bacterial growth rates). This work was completed as part of ASAC projects 2655 and 2679 (ASAC_2655, ASAC_2679).

Report of the 1985 A.N.A.R.E to Heard Island. This document contains the following scientific reports: Zoology - elephant seals, fur seals, General Zoology - leopard seals, fish, insects, birds; Botany - lant communities, lichens and mosses; Limnology - Zooplankton and phytoplankton; Earth Sciences - meteorology, geomagnetism, glaciology, general mapping, general phenomena; Miscellaneous Collections; History; Environmental Impact Assessment; Site Clean up; Building report and Camp inventory; Logistics; Field Operations; Recommendations; Bibliography; Appendix. Taken from the report: The 1985 ANARE to Heard island was of greater duration than any since 1963, although brief stopovers have been made by other ANAREs more recently. It was also the first time since the 1950s that biological research was the major scientific endeavour of two ANARE parties working simultaneously at both ends of the island. This reflects renewed interest in The Territory of Heard Island and The McDonald Islands and its surrounding Exclusive Economic Zone, which has a significant fishery potential. As studies on the population of the Island's Elephant Seals may offer methods of monitoring major changes in the relative balance of high level consumers in the marine ecosystem (See below), the expedition had as its highest priority the thorough censusing of Elephant Seals on the Island over the pupping period, as part of an international program aimed at monitoring the total population of these seals. A census of the whole island, by counting seals hauled out on beaches, necessitated two parties; one at Atlas Cove and the other at Spit Bay. The expedition was also given the tasks of carrying out a limited clean up of the old Atlas Cove camp (following an explicit brief which recognised its heritage value), of making a site survey for the proposed camp, and of producing an Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed site. Other tasks included the deployment of magnetometers and the regular measurement of absolute magnetic values, a comparative meteorological program at either end of the island, an assessment of seal blubber by ultrasound, a collection of Elephant Seal blood samples for electrophoretic analysis, a Fur Seal census, a botanical survey and a general biology program made up of many small sections.