Here we present physico-chemical data collected during two research cruises conducted to and across the Ross Sea, Antarctica in the summer of 2018 (February-March) and 2019 (January-February). The dataset includes measurements of temperature, salinity, oxygen, par and transmissivity obtained with a Sea-Bird Electronics (SBE) 911plus CTD. The CTD sensor was configured with SBE 3plus, SBE 4, and SBE 43 dual sensors for the parameters above, in addition to a seapoint fluorescence sensor, and a photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) sensor (Biospherical Instruments QCP‐2300L‐HP). These data were used to provide oceanographic context to DNA metabarcoding analysis of 18S rRNA V4 region that was carried out on DNA samples collected in parallel to nutrient and chlorophyll-a samples. Fastq samples from DNA metabarcoding analysis and the associated metadata (including nutrients, Chlorophyll-a, and size-fractionated chlorophyll-a) were deposited to GenBank under project numbers PRJNA756172 (2018 cruise) and PRJNA974160 (2019 cruise). The study resulting from this analysis has been submitted to Limnology and Oceanography. RELATED PUBLICATION: Cristi, A., Law, C.S., Pinkerton, M., Lopes dos Santos, A., Safi, K. and Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, A. (2024). Environmental driving forces and phytoplankton diversity across the Ross Sea region during a summer–autumn transition. Limnol Oceanogr. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.12526

This work was primarily funded by the NASA-funded RISE-UP: Ross Ice Shelf & Europa Underwater Probe (PI Britney E. Schmidt) project. Field work at the KIS-1 site during the 2019-2020 season was completed through international collaboration between NASA, NSF/USAP, and Antarctica New Zealand, funded by the Aotearoa New Zealand Antarctic Science Platform (ANTA1801) Antarctic Ice Dynamics Project (ASP02101), and the NZARI-funded Aotearoa New Zealand Ross Ice Shelf Programme, “Vulnerability of the Ross Ice Shelf in a Warming World” (grant no. 2014-11). The data contained in this directory are merged and calibrated data files from three missions conducted with ROV Icefin through a borehole drilled through Ross Ice Shelf at KIS1 (-82.78410, -155.26267), near the Kamb Ice Stream grounding zone. Missions were conducted in 2019 on December 16th, 18th, and 21st (UTC). For questions or assistance working with the data please contact Britney Schmidt (britneys@cornell.edu) and Justin Lawrence (jdl287@cornell.edu). Related Publication: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-023-01129-y GET DATA: https://doi.org/10.15784/601625

Contained in this folder are the raw and processed data files for data collected with the underwater robot Icefin in the ocean cavity beneath Ross Ice Shelf, near the grounding line of Kamb Ice Stream. Most of these data are located within a basal crevasse. They were collected in December 2019 as part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Antarctic Science Platform and Victoria University of Wellington Hot Water Drilling initiative, and the NASA RISEUP grant (NNX16AL07G, PI B. E. Schmidt). The code that converted raw data files to processed can be found at https://zenodo.org/record/8338529. Direct questions to Peter Washam at pwasham@cornell.edu. RELATED PUBLICATION: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adi7638 GET DATA: https://doi.org/10.15784/601733