The ICEBERGS project aimed to understand the impact of retreating coastal glaciers upon benthic marine ecosystems along the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP). This was a collaboration project between University of Exeter, the British Antarctic Survey, Universidad Catololica de Santiago de Concepcion and Bangor University. During three research cruises (JR17001, JR18003 and JR19002) between 2017 and 2020, biological specimens along with other scientific data and samples were collected from three coastal fjords (i.e. Marian Cove, Borgen Bay and Sheldon Cove). The biological samples were collected using mainly a benthic Agassiz trawl and some using a Hamon grab and they were either preserved in ethanol or dry. Funding: The funding for this grant was provided from NERC and from CONICYT Chile (NERC-CONICYT; NE/P003087/1).

To further our understanding of Antarctic predator growth and seasonal physiology, field growth rates were measured for two soft-bodied Antarctic anemone benthic predators, Isotealia antarctica and Urticinopsis antarctica, using in situ sampling of anemones on uniquely marked tiles from Rothera Research Station from 2020-2023. Ex situ measurements of oxygen consumption and seven-day faecal output were obtained from recently collected specimens in aquaria and compared between summer and winter. Winter physiological data for Antarctic species are rare, and we tested the hypothesis that generalist feeders or predators continue to feed during the winter. There is a dearth of basic life history and physiological data from Southern Ocean species, particularly from benthic sessile predators. This is an important data gap because species inhabiting the Southern Ocean live in a more temperature stable but seasonally varying environment than temperate and tropical counterparts. This work was supported by core funding from the NERC, UKRI, UK to the British Antarctic Survey.

This dataset comprises video and imagery captured around Rothera Point, Adelaide Island on the West Antarctic Peninsula between November 2023 and February 2024. The data was captured as part of a biodiversity survey on an area to the North of Rothera Research Station. Operations were conducted off small boats and allowed data to be collected in shallow waters between 10 m and 60 m water depth. The dataset includes: seabed imagery captured using a down-facing drop camera, video footage from a Boxfish Luna remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV), timelapse imagery from a camera installed on the Rothera Research station watch tower and video and imagery of a sediment profiler experiment of the seabed. Data were collected by personnel at BAS, funded by the Antarctic Infrastructure Modernisation Project (AIMP) Runway Project.