ALBERT

Description: We report on the succession of selective degradation of dinoflagellate cyst species that can be considered representative for discrete particulate organic matter (POM) classes of different degradability. The effects of anaerobic and aerobic degradation as well as bioturbation in a natural setting are documented in high resolution by means of palynological and geochemical analyses on Madeira Abyssal Plain A- and F-turbidites. These turbidites are unique as their initial ungraded sediments are affected by a downward penetrating oxydation front. The dataset covers the density, porosity, water content and dinoflagellate cysts content of sediments from the so called A- and F-turbidite.

Description: Baffin Bay is a semi-enclosed basin connecting the Arctic Ocean and the western North Atlantic, thus making out a significant pathway for heat exchange. Here we reconstruct the alternating advection of relatively warmer and saline Atlantic waters versus the incursion of colder Arctic water masses entering Baffin Bay through the multiple gateways in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago and the Nares Strait during the Holocene. We carried out benthic foraminiferal assemblage analyses, X-ray fluorescence scanning, and radiocarbon dating of a 738 cm long marine sediment core retrieved from eastern Baffin Bay near Upernavik, Greenland (Core AMD14-204C; 987m water depth). Results reveal that eastern Baffin Bay was subjected to several oceanographic changes during the last 9.2 kyrCE1. Waning deglacial conditions with enhanced meltwater influxes and an extensive sea-ice cover prevailed in eastern Baffin Bay from 9.2 to 7.9 ka. A transition towards bottom water amelioration is recorded at 7.9 ka by increased advection of Atlantic water masses, encompassing the Holocene Thermal Maximum. A cold period with growing sea-ice cover at 6.7 ka interrupts the overall warm subsurface water conditions, promoted by a weaker northward flow of Atlantic waters. The onset of the neoglaciation at ca. 2.9 ka is marked by an abrupt transition towards a benthic fauna dominated by agglutinated species, likely in part explained by a reduction of the influx of Atlantic Water, allowing an increased influx of the cold, corrosive Baffin Bay Deep Water originating from the Arctic Ocean to enter Baffin Bay through the Nares Strait. These cold subsurface water conditions persisted throughout the Late Holocene, only interrupted by short-lived warmings superimposed on this cooling trend.

Description: Concentrations of the sea-ice biomarker IP25 and highly branched isoprenoid triene (HBI III) (ng/g), total organic carbon content (TOC; %), IP25 and HBI III concentrations normalized to TOC (ng/gTOC), and fluxes of IP25 and HBI III (ng/unit surface area/yr) from the marine sediment core AMD14-204_CASQ that was retrieved from the West Greenland shelf, offshore Upernavik, and which spans the last ca. 9,000 years.

Description: The elemental geochemical compositions of ten suspended particulate matter samples taken at a water depth of 10 m along the St. Lawrence Estuary during February 2019 were investigated to document sediment provenance and transport pathways during ice-covered conditions. The elemental analysis was done using an INCA X-sight energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer (Oxford Instruments) coupled to a JEOL 6460LV scanning electron microscope. X-ray spectra were measured from 40 detrital particles manually and randomly selected at various positions over the sample using the microscope.

Description: The mineralogical compositions of ten suspended particulate matter samples taken at a water depth of 10 m along the St. Lawrence Estuary during February 2019 were investigated to document sediment provenance and transport pathways during ice-covered conditions. X-ray diffraction was used for the characterization of the particles' mineralogical composition. Samples were analyzed by quantitative X-ray diffraction (qXRD) using a PANalytical X'Pert Powder diffractometer. For the quantification of the major mineralogical components, the XRD scans obtained were converted into mineral weight percent (wt.%) using the standardless option of the Excel macro-program Rockjock v11.

Description: This dataset contains abiotic and biotic data from sediment samples from nine sites in the Weddell Sea (mostly South-Eastern). Data are provided for sediment pigments (chlorophyll a and phaeopigment content through fluorometry), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable isotope values of carbon and nitrogen (δ13C, δ15N) and grain size (silt&clay 〈 32 µm, very fine sand 63–125 µm sand, fine sand 125–250 µm, medium sand 250–500 µm, coarse sand 500–1000 µm, larger coarse sand 〉 1000 µm). Before the TOC and carbon isotope analysis the sediment samples were acidified to eliminate inorganic carbon. A minimum of three replicate samples (cores) were collected using a MUC10 multicorer or giant box corer. Sediment cores were subsampled with a 60-ml syringe (inner diameter 2.7 cm) for stations 017, 026, 061, 072, and with a 10-ml syringe (inner diameter 1 cm) for stations 001, 037, 048, 104, 115. Subsamples were sliced in 1-cm steps down to 5 cm depth. Detailed methods are described in Säring et al. (submitted) except for stable isotopes: Flash combustion in a Flash 2000 (Thermo) elemental analyser to a Delta V advantage (Thermo) isotope ratio masspectrometer. δ values are reported relative to atmospheric N2 (δ15N) and Vienna PeeDee Belemnite (δ13C). Reference materials for stable isotope analysis: IAEA-N1, IAEA-N2, IAEA-N3, NBS 22, IAEA-CH-3 and IAEA-CH-6; calibration material: Acetanilide (Merck). The analytical precision for both stable isotope ratios was 〈±0.2‰. Cores with the label -e (Environment) were only used to collect the above data. Environmental and fauna data were collected from cores with the label -i (Incubation). This data table is part of a larger study analysing the role of environmental parameters for meio- and macrofaunal community composition (see Related to below).

Description: This dataset contains biotic and abiotic data from water-column samples taken with Niskin bottles mounted on the CTD rosette from 14 sites in the Weddell Sea (mostly South-Eastern). Data are provided for water-column pigments (chlorophyll a and phaeopigment content through fluorometry), total carbon (TC) and nitrogen (TN) and stable isotope values of carbon and nitrogen (δ13C, δ15N) from the chlorophyll maximum (Cmax, defined as the water depth with maximum fluorescence detected during in-situ profiles) and close to the sea bottom. Water was filtered onto glass fiber filters (GF/C for pigments, combusted GF/F for C and N analyses) and stored at -80°C prior to analysis. Detailed methods are described in Säring et al. (submitted) except for stable isotopes: Flash combustion in a Flash 2000 (Thermo) elemental analyser to a Delta V advantage (Thermo) isotope ratio masspectrometer. δ values are reported relative to atmospheric N₂ (δ15N) and Vienna PeeDee Belemnite (δ13C). Reference materials for stable isotope analysis: IAEA-N1, IAEA-N2, IAEA-N3, NBS 22, IAEA-CH-3 and IAEA-CH-6; calibration material: Acetanilide (Merck). The analytical precision for both stable isotope ratios was 〈±0.2‰. Samples were not acidified to avoid loss of material. We assumed low inorganic carbon content in the water column for our analyses. This data table is part of a larger study analysing the role of environmental parameters for meio- and macrofaunal community composition (see Related to below).