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.

This dataset is referring to 1-year time series of particle flux, as measured by a shelf moored sediment traps (WCB) located in the Southern Ocean (northern Scotia Sea sector), a globally important region of atmospheric CO2 drawdown. This sector holds >50% of the circumpolar krill stock of Antarctic krill and is the geographic focus for the krill fishing industry. The dataset includes the specific contribution of krill components to the total C flux parameters (such as exuviae, faecal pellets and carcasses) within a period from January to December 2018. Values of krill seasonal standing stock estimated from krill standard lengths is also included in the dataset. The dataset allow the quantification of the relevant contribution of krill to the POC flux. Since abundance of Krill around South Georgia is environmentally influenced, the dataset highlights the sensitivity of POC flux to rapid regional environmental change.