Abundance and biomass of hard-rock sea floor species around Cheshire Island, Rothera Research Station at various depths (6m, 12m, 20m) in 1998, 2010, 2015, and 2025
GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02274
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Summary
Abstract:
This data shows the abundance (individuals per m2) and ash-free dry mass (AFDM g/m2) in the years 1998, 2010, 2015, and 2025 at Cheshire Island (1998, 2015, 2025) and South Cove (2010) near the British Antarctic Survey's research station at Rothera Point, Adelaide Island. The samples were collected using different SCUBA survey methods such as SCUBA hand-collections and photo-surveys. This compiled dataset enabled to assess changes in species assemblages over the past 27 years at Rothera and detect any changes and provides key information for future monitoring of species assemblages and carbon stocks.
The work was supported from NERC Core funding.
Keywords:
Antarctic, Rothera, abundance, benthic, biomass, blue carbon
Citation
Glaz, P., Morley, S.A., Barnes, D.K.A., Peck, L.S., & Souster, T. (2026). Abundance and biomass of hard-rock sea floor species around Cheshire Island, Rothera Research Station at various depths (6m, 12m, 20m) in 1998, 2010, 2015, and 2025 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/6d88eded-196a-44d6-8d84-5a623ef69656
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Constraints
| Access Constraints: | Data are under embargo until publication of the associated manuscript. |
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| Use Constraints: | These data are governed by the NERC data policy http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/sites/data/policy/ and supplied under Open Government Licence v.3 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/. |
Basic Information
| Creation Date: | 2026-09-14 |
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| Dataset Progress: | Complete |
| Dataset Language: | English |
| ISO Topic Categories: |
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| Parameters: |
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| Personnel: | |
| Name | UK Polar Data Centre |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Patrycja Glaz |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Simon A Morley |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | David K A Barnes |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Lloyd S Peck |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Terri Souster |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | UiT The Arctic University of Norway |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
Additional Information
| Reference: | Barnes, D.K. and Brockington, S., 2003. Zoobenthic biodiversity, biomass and abundance at Adelaide Island, Antarctica. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 249, pp.145-155. Souster, T.A., 2018. Marine biodiversity of Antarctic hard rock communities: species biomass and energy use. Open University (United Kingdom). https://doi.org/10.21954/ou.ro.0000d2c7 |
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| Quality: | The abundance and AFDM have been transformed from 0.25m2 quadrats to represent values per m2. | |
| Lineage/Methodology: | In 1998 quadrats (0.25 m2) were hand-collected using SCUBA, and in 2010 a SCUBA photo-survey of IBIS grids was made. In 2015 SCUBA hand-collection of quadrats was made using a battery powered suction sampler, and in 2025 the SCUBA hand-collection of quadrats was made using an airlift suction sampler. For the suction sampler visible megafauna and rocks were collected by hand and put in separate bags, then the remainder of the sample within the quadrat was vacuumed into a 3 mm mesh size sampling bag. Each morphospecies was identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level using primary literature or, examples of each morphospecies were preserved in 95% ethanol for later identification by specialists/DNA barcoding. In this study, due to the algae being collected as fragments, the abundance was recorded as presence/absence, with '1' in a quadrat indicating that algae were present, and the mass of the total algal sample was measured. Sponges were recorded as the number of fragments collected in 2010 and 2015, as no sponges were recorded in 1998 and 2025. AFDM (Ash Free Dry Mass) was calculated by subtracting ash mass from dry mass. The wet mass to AFDM relationship (R2 > 0.9) was used to estimate the AFDM of individuals for which only wet mass was measured. Zeros indicate that species are not present. The datasets were compared and analysed against contextual data such as temperature, chlorophyll, fast ice, sea ice using data provided through the Rothera long-term monitoring time series (RaTS). This has been expressed as days above threshold. Threshold values were identified for salinity (< 33.4), temperature (> -0.5 degrees Celsius), and chlorophyll (> 0.5 mg m-3) by plotting the data for the year of the study and visually selecting values within the sharp transition from summer to winter that were applicable to all studies. The sample abbreviations follow a 'Transect/Depth/Sample/Season' format. E.g. T1_6_1S where T1=Transect 1, 6=6-meter site, 1=Quadrat 1, S=Summer, W=Winter. For older data the samples varied in their identifiers, so data was extracted to be presented in contextual supplement. |
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Locality
| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 1998-01-01 |
| End Date | 1998-05-01 |
| Start Date | 2010-09-01 |
| End Date | 2010-12-01 |
| Start Date | 2015-01-01 |
| End Date | 2015-12-30 |
| Start Date | 2025-01-29 |
| End Date | 2025-09-17 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -67.57295 |
| Northernmost | -67.57295 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -68.1268 |
| Easternmost | -68.1268 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | 6 m |
| Max Depth | 20 m |
| Location: | |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Adelaide Island, Rothera Point |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Cheshire Island |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | South Cove |
Instrumentation
| Data Collection: | PRIMER-e v8 Carbolite ashing furnace was used to obtain AFDM at 480 degrees Celsius. |
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