This dataset comprises the following water body parameters: pressure; density; salinity; temperature; fluorescence; oxygen; dissolved inorganic nutrients; dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC); particulate carbon (PC); particulate organic carbon (POC); particulate nitrogen (PN); alkalinity; pH; chlorophyll; photosynthetically active radiation (PAR); delta 15 N isotopic composition of PN and nitrate; delta 13 C isotopic composition of POC; delta 18 O isotopic composition of nitrate; ratio of oxygen isotopes. This dataset also includes dissolved inorganic nutrients in sediment pore water, and major and minor element concentrations in sediment. Data were sampled on the West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), more specifically in Ryder and Marguerite Bays. Measurements were obtained from either in situ sensors, samples collected by box coring, or by Niskin bottles mounted on the CTD rosette of RRS James Clark Ross during cruises JR20141231 (JR307, JR308) and JR15003 which took place from 31 December 2014 to 07 January 2015 and from 17 December 2015 to 13 January 2016 respectively. Samples were also collected from Niskin bottles deployed with a hand-cranked winch or 12 V electric bilge pump from a rigid-hulled inflatable boat between 16 November 2013 and 21 March 2016. Sediment samples were analysed for major and minor element composition by X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy at the School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh. This research project aimed to examine the ways in which ongoing climate change and sea ice decline at the WAP impact upon nutrient budgets and biogeochemical cycling throughout the region, and to trace the movement and modification of circumpolar deep water across the WAP shelf and its influence on macronutrient and inorganic carbon supply to productive coastal regions. Data were generated by Sian Henley (University of Edinburgh), Hugh Venables and Michael Meredith (British Antarctic Survey), Elizabeth Jones (University of Groningen), Katharine Hendry (University of Bristol), and Yvonne Firing (NOC Southampton), with funding from NERC Independent Research Fellowship (NE/K010034/1), the University of Edinburgh School of Geosciences, the British Antarctic Survey Polar Oceans Program, the Netherlands Polar Program (NOW), British Antarctic Survey CGS-109, and NERC NC Funding for SR1b repeat transect (PI Firing). Additional contributors to the dataset were Malcolm Woodward (Plymouth Marine Laboratory), Melanie Leng (British Geological Survey) and Colin Chilcott and Nicholas Odling (University of Edinburgh).

This dataset consists of measurements of temperature, pressure and depth collected using conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) casts, chlorophyll, water chemistry and biogenic silica data taken from CTD and underway samples, and underway meteorology, navigation and sea surface hydrography. Data were collected in the Southern Ocean, specifically the Drake Passage, Weddell Sea and Powell Basin, on the RRS James Clark Ross cruises JR255A (20th January to 03rd February 2012) and recovery cruise JR255B (04th February 22nd March 2012) Biogenic silica and chlorophyll samples were collected from the non-toxic underway and CTD Niskin bottles, filtered, dried and processed spectrophotometrically post-cruise. Similarly, water chemistry samples were collected, filtered and dried before post-cruise processing with an elemental analyser. A SeaBird CTD rosette was launched at stations throughout the cruise collecting temperature, pressure and depth values with an attached deep ocean thermometer collecting temperature data which were used to calibrate the CTD data. The underway oceanlogger was running through the duration of the cruises, excepting times for cleaning, entering and leaving port, and while alongside. The data were collected as part of the “Gliders: Excellent New Tools for Observing the Ocean (GENTOO)” project. The objectives of the GENTOO project are: (i) To quantify and understand the possible new source of dense water overflow and its variability; to determine the outflow's potential as an early indicator of Antarctic climate change; to assess the impact of changing dense overflows on the locations and strengths of the surface currents and frontal jets; to provide valuable constraints for climate models that describe how changes in ocean circulation feedback on and regulate climate change in polar latitudes. (ii) To determine the krill biomass distribution and (temporal and spatial) variability to the east of the Antarctic Peninsula and its likely impact on the circumpolar krill ecosystem; to assess the impact of any variations in the location of the frontal jets (from objective i) on the krill biomass distribution; to alleviate a severe regional lack of field data on krill, a key species in the Antarctic food web. To achieve the two objectives, our technological deliverable is a critical evaluation of our ability to measure (a) current velocity from a glider and (b) krill biomass from a glider. The data were collected under NERC lead grant NE/H01439X/1, with child grants NE/H014217/1, NE/H014756/1 and NE/H015078/1. The principal investigators were Prof. Karen Heywood,University of East Anglia, Environmental Sciences, Prof. Gwyn Griffiths, National Oceanography Centre, Science and Technology, Dr. Sophie Fielding, NERC British Antarctic Survey, Science Programmes and Dr. Stuart Bruce Dalziel, University of Cambridge, Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics, respectively. With regard the samples data (Biogenic silica, water chemistry and chlorophyll) it is important to note that these data ARE NOT the property of NERC. They belong to Walker Smith of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science(VIMS) who has supplied them in support of GENTOO. As such, he must be credited for use of the data. The CTD and underway navigation, meteorology and sea surface hydrography data have been received by BODC as raw files from the RRS James Clark Ross, are currently being processed and are available in raw format from BODC enquiries. The SBE-35 Deep Ocean Thermometer and biogenic silica, chlorophyll-a and particulate organic carbon/nitrogen samples data have been received by BODC as raw files from the RRS James Clark Ross, processed and quality controlled using in-house BODC procedures and will be made available online in the near future.

The dataset includes physical and biogeochemical measurements of water properties, meteorological data and biogeochemical measurements of sediment parameters. Temperature, salinity, turbidity, oxygen, nutrients, dissolved organic carbon/total dissolved nitrogen (DOC/TDN), particulate organic carbon/particulate organic nitrogen (POC/PON), contaminants and pH were measured at most of the data collection sites, with additional biogeochemical measurements collected at various locations. Temperature, salinity and nutrients are available for virtually all data collection campaigns. The data were collected in a number of estuaries around the UK between 1993 and 1997. The Humber estuarine data set was collected during a series of 33 campaigns on the EA vessels Sea Vigil and Water Guardian in the Humber, Trent and Ouse systems at approximately monthly intervals between June 1993 and December 1996. The measurements were taken over two or three one-day cruises that covered the estuary from the tidal limits of both Trent and Ouse to Spurn Point. Instrumental and sample data are available from a series of fixed stations that were sampled during every campaign. The Tweed estuarine data set was collected during a series of 13 campaigns using RV Tamaris and a rigid inflatable vessel at approximately monthly intervals between July 1996 and July 1997. Data were collected throughout the tidal reaches of the River Tweed. The dataset forms part of the NERC Land Ocean Interaction Study project. Key investigators for this LOIS sub-project included Plymouth Marine Laboratory. The data are held in the British Oceanographic Data Centre project database.

The data set includes hydrographic profiles (including temperature, salinity, attenuance, chlorophyll, oxygen, irradiance, turbulence, sound velocity and currents), hydrographic time series (temperature, currents, fluorescence, bottom pressure), water samples (>70 parameters measured), sediment samples (>160 parameters measured), sediment trap samples (>10 parameters measured), production experiments and marine snow camera profiles. Additional meteorological and wave records are also available, as well as satellite imagery and underwater photography (water column and seabed). The data were collected on the Hebridean Slope (NW of Ireland) between March 1995 and September 1996. Measurements were collected via a combination of shipboard instrument deployments, including >1,800 conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) and SeaSoar (undulating oceanographic recorder) profiles, >100 expendable bathythermograph (XBT) profiles, >38,000 acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) profiles, >35 core profiles, >800 turbulence profiles, >40 marine snow camera profiles, >55 radiometer profiles and >25 sound velocity and travel time experiments. Benthic lander deployments were also undertaken, along with shipboard incubation experiments and drifting buoy deployments (48 tracks). An intensive water sampling programme provided >2,500 samples for biological and biogeochemical analysis. An extensive moored instrument array was maintained throughout the experiment, including sediment traps, recording current meters (104 series), electromagnetic current meters (9 series), ADCPs (16 series), thermistor chain and temperature probes (70 series), fluorometers (18 series), transmissometers (16 series), light meter (5 series), bottom pressure recorders (11 series), plus one waverider buoy series and three meteorological buoy time series. The Shelf Edge Study (SES) was an intensive multidisciplinary experiment and formed part of the NERC Land Ocean Interaction Study. The British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC) assembled over 95% of the data sets collected during SES into its project database system. Once basic quality control procedures had been completed the data set was published, complete with extensive data documentation, on CD-ROM.