Chlorophyll A Concentrations In Antarctic Sea Ice Cores

1300 geo-referenced ice cores from pack ice provide 8247 individual section measurements of chlorophyll a concentration, compiled from 32 Southern Ocean research cruises between 1983 and 2008. The dataset was assembled by the Australian Antarctic Data Centre from peer-reviewed publications, cruise reports, and direct contributions by field teams. An updated compilation was provided in December 2017.

Use Cases

• Analyze vertical profiles of chlorophyll a concentration across 990 ice core profiles to model biomass distribution within sea ice.
• Correlate chlorophyll a measurements (in µg/L) with sampling location and date to study spatial and temporal trends in Antarctic primary production from 1983 to 2008.
• Validate remote sensing estimates of sea ice algal biomass using in-situ chlorophyll a data from 8247 individual ice core sections.
• Investigate the relationship between ice core sampling depth and chlorophyll a concentration using the multi-section profile data.

Strengths

• 1300 distinct geo-referenced ice core samples provide a substantial physical sample base.
• Data spans 25 years (1983-2008) from 32 separate research cruises, offering multi-decadal temporal coverage.
• Includes 8247 individual ice core section measurements, allowing for fine-grained vertical analysis.

Limitations

• Data collection ended in 2008, limiting analysis of recent trends in Antarctic sea ice biology.
• Samples are exclusively from pack ice, excluding fast ice environments which may have different biological characteristics.
• The compilation nature from multiple sources may introduce methodological inconsistencies in chlorophyll a measurement.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Data Centre (AU_AADC), compiling data from peer-reviewed publications, cruise reports, repositories, and direct contributor submissions.

Collection Method

Chlorophyll a concentration was measured fluorometrically from melted ice core sections using standardized protocols, with samples melted at <5°C in the dark.

Time Range

1983 to 2008

Freshness

Core data spans 1983-2008; a compiled NetCDF file was updated in December 2017.

Geography

Southern Ocean sea ice zone (pack ice)