JGOFS/AESOPS: Antarctic Phytoplankton, Bacteria, and Trace Metals

Over 17 months from October 1996 to March 1998, the US Joint Global Ocean Flux Study collected bottle and CTD data from the NATHANIEL B. PALMER and ROGER REVELLE ships in the Antarctic. Bottle samples provide counts of bacteria, picoplankton, nanoplankton, and nano microplankton, alongside concentrations of trace metals. CTD casts recorded vertical profiles of conductivity, temperature, and salinity for the Antarctic Environments Southern Ocean Process Study.

Use Cases

• Modeling Southern Ocean carbon flux based on phytoplankton abundance and community structure.
• Investigating trace metal limitation of primary productivity in Antarctic waters.
• Analyzing vertical water column structure using conductivity, temperature, and salinity profiles.
• Studying seasonal changes in microbial populations from bacteria to microplankton.

Strengths

• Data collection spans a 17-month time range (1996-10-17 to 1998-03-15), capturing seasonal variability.
• Includes multiple complementary data types: biological counts, chemical concentrations, and physical oceanographic profiles.
• Collected under a major, well-documented international research program (US JGOFS/AESOPS).

Limitations

• Column names and exact data structure are unknown, limiting immediate usability.
• Conflicting 'last updated' metadata between platforms (1998 vs. 2026) suggests potential metadata management issues.
• Key metadata like row count, file size, and specific license are unavailable.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Bottle and CTD casts from research vessels NATHANIEL B. PALMER and ROGER REVELLE.

Time Range

1996-10-17 to 1998-03-15

Freshness

2026-03-05 23:53:59.801621 (from datagov, though this may be a metadata refresh date)

Geography

Antarctic Ocean (Southern Ocean)