This dataset documents the trends and variability in the latitude and strength of the belt of lower-atmosphere westerly winds over the Southern Ocean, referred to as the ''westerly jet''. Time series of annual mean and seasonal diagnostics are available for the period 1979-present, specifically time series of seasonal and annual mean jet latitude and strength. The diagnostics are derived from the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) ERA-Interim reanalysis (for more information see www.ecmwf.int and Dee et al. (2011)), which is an observationally-constrained reconstruction of atmospheric conditions. The broad characterisation of the westerly winds into these simple diagnostics has been found to be useful for understanding long-term climate change due to contrasting drivers of change and impacts on other aspects of the climate system. This is an index of winds around the full circumference of all longitudes at Southern Hemisphere middle latitudes. The exact latitude depends on the position of the jet at any given time, but on average the jet (the core of the westerlies) is located at approximately 52 deg S.

This dataset presents the relative diatom abundances of 55 species/groups from the 132-120 ka interval in marine sediment core NBP9802-04 (-64.20 degN, -170.08 degE). This age interval corresponds to the peak of Marine Isotope Stage 5e (130- 116 ka). Microscope slides were prepared using a method adapted from Scherer (1994) and 300+ diatom valves were counted for each depth sample to produce the relative percentage abundance of each diatom species/group. This project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/L002531/1

This dataset presents the relative diatom abundances of 55 species/groups from the 132-120 ka interval in marine sediment core TPC290 (-55.55 degN, -45.02 degE). This age interval corresponds to the peak of Marine Isotope Stage 5e (130- 116 ka). Microscope slides were prepared using a method adapted from Scherer (1994) and 300+ diatom valves were counted for each depth sample to produce the relative percentage abundance of each diatom species/group. This project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/L002531/1

This dataset presents the relative diatom abundances of 56 species/groups from the 132-120 ka interval in marine sediment core PC509 (-68.31 degN, -86.03 degE). This age interval corresponds to the peak of Marine Isotope Stage 5e (130- 116 ka). Microscope slides were prepared using a method adapted from Scherer (1994) and 300+ diatom valves were counted for each depth sample to produce the relative percentage abundance of each diatom species/group. This project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/L002531/1

This dataset presents the relative diatom abundances of 55 species/groups from the 132-120 ka interval in marine sediment core TPC288 (-59.14 degN, -37.96 degE). This age interval corresponds to the peak of Marine Isotope Stage 5e (130- 116 ka). Microscope slides were prepared using a method adapted from Scherer (1994) and 300+ diatom valves were counted for each depth sample to produce the relative percentage abundance of each diatom species/group. This project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/L002531/1

This dataset presents the relative diatom abundances of 56 species/groups from the 132-120 ka interval in marine sediment core U1361A (-64.41 oN, 143.89 oE). This age interval corresponds to the peak of Marine Isotope Stage 5e (130- 116 ka). Microscope slides were prepared using a method adapted from Scherer (1994) and 300+ diatom valves were counted for each depth sample to produce the relative percentage abundance of each diatom species/group. This project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/L002531/1

This dataset presents the relative diatom abundances of 55 species/groups from the 132-120 ka interval in marine sediment core TPC287 (-60.31 degN, -36.65 degE). This age interval corresponds to the peak of Marine Isotope Stage 5e (130- 116 ka). Microscope slides were prepared using a method adapted from Scherer (1994) and 300+ diatom valves were counted for each depth sample to produce the relative percentage abundance of each diatom species/group. This project was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council Grant NE/L002531/1

Faecal pellets and eggs of Antarctic silverfish have been collected over the seasons using a sediment trap deployed on 1998 in Terra Nova Bay, Ross Sea, Antarctica in the frame of the National Italian Antarctic Research project (PNRA). Antarctic silverfish (ASF) accounts for over 90% of the local fish communities in the Southern Ocean costal area. Samples have been investigated in order to quantify the contribution of fish faecal pellets and eggs to the export of carbon. Funding: CLIMA project (Climatic Long-term Interactions for the Mass Balance in Antarctica) of the Italian National Program for Research in Antarctica.

Marine ice data extracted from historical records of ship-observed sea ice and iceberg positions from the circum-Antarctic expeditions of James Cook (1772-75) and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen (1819-21), including ice data from the separate voyages of the accompanying vessels. An indication of when size information was gathered in the journals is given, as well as when a vessel harvested water from iceberg growlers. Publication assisted by Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship EM-2022-042 to Professor Grant R. Bigg: "Extending the Southern Ocean marine ice record to the eighteenth century".

Acoustic backscatter data were collected on board the RRS James Clark Ross (cruise JR179) as part of the BIOFLAME-BIOPEARL programme. Data were collected using a Simrad EK60 echo sounder. Data were collected throughout the cruise which ran through the Drake Passage, Bellingshausen Sea and Amundsen Sea in the Southern Ocean, from February to April 2008. The raw data files (Simrad .raw format) are held by the Polar Data Centre (PDC) at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). *******PLEASE BE ADVISED TO USE PROCESSED DATA******* The JR179 EK60 processed data is now available at https://doi.org/10.5285/ecc51062-1338-445e-bd3c-2e63487d1953.