These data comprise the physiology-based measurements made on the cyanobacteria Synechocystis sp. and Synechococcus sp., the pennate diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the coccolithophore Emiliana huxleyi. A variety of experimental manipulations were carried out in order to investigate the mechanisms underlying thermally-induced physiological responses and various physiological traits were characterised. Full details about this nonGeographicDataset can be found at https://doi.org/10.5285/b02524b3-e755-41f7-9bc6-ba389b16db47

This data assesses the ability of 8 species, from 7 classes representing a range of functional groups, to survive, for 100 to 303 days, at temperatures 0 to 4 degrees Celsius above previously calculated long-term temperature limits. Survivors were then tested for acclimation responses to acute warming. Acclimatisation in the field was tested in the seastar Odontaster validus collected in different years, seasons and locations within Antarctica. Finally, we tested the importance of oxygen limitation in controlling survival duration by incubating 7 species under normoxia (20%) and mild hyperoxia (30%). This study was funded by Natural Environment Research Council core funding to the British Antarctic Survey and Spitfire DTP funding to R.E.S.