Abstract:
This dataset provides information on the annual abundance and diversity of diatoms preserved in ice layers from a Jurassic ice core that was drilled in 2012 from the Southern West Antarctic Peninsula. The diatom record spans the entire depth of the ice core (0-140 meters) and represents the interval from 1873 to 2012 CE. Meltwater from the annual layers of the ice core was filtered, and the filters were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope for the identification and classification of diatoms. This dataset was utilized to reconstruct past changes in the westerly winds of the Southern Hemisphere, with the results presented in Tetzner et al. (2025).
Funding:
This research was funded by CONICYT-Becas Chile and Cambridge Trust funding programme for PhD studies under grant number 72180432.
Keywords:
Antarctica, Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds, diatoms, ice core
Tetzner, D., Allen, C., Thomas, E., Wolff, E., & Franzke, C. (2025). Annual diatom abundance and diversity from the Jurassic ice core, Antarctic Peninsula (1873-2012 CE) (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/371f680f-2c0b-4558-9a85-12aa8722be7e
| Access Constraints: | No restrictions apply. |
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| Use Constraints: | Data supplied under Open Government Licence v3.0 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/. |
| Creation Date: | 2025-05-27 |
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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 | Dieter Tetzner |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Claire Allen |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Elizabeth R Thomas |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Eric Wolff |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | University of Cambridge |
| Name | Christian L E Franzke |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Pusan National University |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
| Reference: | Associated publication: Tetzner, D. R.; Allen, C. S.; Thomas, E. R.; Wolff, E. W.; Franzke, C. L. E. (2025). Timing of the recent migration and intensification of the Southern Hemisphere Westerly Winds. Geophysical Research Letters. Methodology/quality references: Armand, L. K., Crosta, X., Romero, O., and Pichon, J. J. (2005). The biogeography of major diatom taxa in Southern Ocean sediments: 1. Sea ice related species. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 223 (1-2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2005.02.015 Cefarelli, A. O., Ferrario, M. E., Almandoz, G. O., Atencio, A. G., Akselman, R., and Vernet, M. (2010). Diversity of the diatom genus Fragilariopsis in the Argentine Sea and Antarctic waters: morphology, distribution and abundance. Polar Biol. 33 (11), 1463-1484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-010-0794-z Hasle, G. R., & Syvertsen, E. E. (1997). Identifying Marine Phytoplankton. Academic Press, London. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-693018-4.X5000-9 Tetzner, D., Thomas, E. R., Allen, C. S., & Wolff, E. W. (2021). A refined method to analyze insoluble particulate matter in ice cores, and its application to diatom sampling in the Antarctic Peninsula. Frontiers in Earth Science, 9, 617043. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.617043 Tetzner, D. R., Allen, C. S., Thomas, E. R., & Humby, J. (2025). Use of excess meltwater from continuous flow analysis systems for the analysis of low concentration insoluble microparticles in ice cores. Frontiers in Earth Science, 13, 1530875. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2025.1530875 Zielinski, U., and Gersonde, R. (1997). Diatom distribution in Southern Ocean surface sediments (Atlantic sector): implications for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol. 129 (3-4), 213-250. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-0182(96)00130-7 |
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| Quality: | Diatom samples were processed and analysed according to the methods and constraints outlined in Tetzner et al. (2021) and Tetzner et al. (2025). Annual layer meltwater from Jurassic ice core was filtered using polycarbonate membrane filters with a pore diameter of 1.0 ?m. After filtration, the filters were scanned using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). One-third of the filter area was scanned, in line with the observations from Tetzner et al. (2021) and Tetzner et al. (2025), which noted that diatoms tend to have a homogeneous spatial distribution when the counts over one-third of the filter area are six or more. The main diatom assemblage composition was established from the identified species and groups with abundances higher than 2.0% of the whole assemblage. | |
| Lineage/Methodology: | The Jurassic ice core was drilled in the austral summer 2012/2013 CE to a depth of 140m using the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) electromechanical, 104 mm diameter drill. An ice chronology was established for this core based on the annual cycles of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the non-sea salt component of sulphate (nssSO42-). The estimated dating error was <+/-7 months for each year and with no accumulated error. Diatom samples were obtained by filtering meltwater from annual layers of the Jurassic ice core. Jurassic ice core meltwater was filtered through 1.0 micro-meter pore size filters, which were later imaged using a Quanta-650F Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) at the Earth Sciences Department, University of Cambridge. Diatom identification and ecological associations were based on published Southern Ocean databases and references therein (Armand et al., 2005; Hasle and Syvertsen, 1997; Cefarelli et al., 2010; Zielinski and Gersonde, 1997). | |
| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 1873-01-01 |
| End Date | 2012-12-31 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -74.33 |
| Northernmost | -74.33 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -73.06 |
| Easternmost | -73.06 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | 1139 |
| Max Altitude | 1139 |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Data Resolution: | |
| Latitude Resolution | N/A |
| Longitude Resolution | N/A |
| Horizontal Resolution Range | N/A |
| Vertical Resolution | N/A |
| Vertical Resolution Range | N/A |
| Temporal Resolution | <+/- 7 months |
| Temporal Resolution Range | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Southern West Antarctic Peninsula |
| Data Collection: | Quanta-650F Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) at the Earth Sciences Department, University of Cambridge. |
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| Distribution: | |
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| Distribution Media | N/A |
| Distribution Size | 2 x .csv, 20 KB |
| Distribution Format | ASCII |
| Fees | N/A |
| Data Storage: | This dataset is conformed by two .csv files. File names are "Diatom abundance.csv" (9.15 KB), "Main diatom assemblage taxa.csv" (10.5 KB). These files display values at annual resolution (1873-2012 CE). Each file has an XCSV header containing metadata. Column A on each file represent the start of the sample interval. Column B on each file represent the end of the sample interval. Units: Columns A and B in both files represent time in "current era" years (CE) Columns C, D and E in the "Diatom abundance" file, present data as counts per sample (counts), with each sample representing a year. Columns C, D, E, F, G, H and I in the "Main diatom assemblage taxa" file, present data as counts per sample (counts), with each sample representing a year. Missing data: NaN |