Abstract:
This dataset contains attributes of individual microplastics sampled via a CTD within the Scotia Sea water column (50m, 150/200m, 500m, 1000m), at three different stations (A23, M2, P3) during the austral summer 2022-2023. It is in contribution to a study investigating the vertical distribution (in terms of abundance and polymer type) of microplastics collected in areas of the Scotia Sea characterised by contrasting environmental regimes.
Data is organised as individual microplastic particle per row, categorised by station and then depth. Microplastic attributes included in the dataset consist of: polymer type; known density of identified polymer used in subsequent calculations; particle length; particle width; and associated calculated values of: surface area (A), particle thickness (T), proportion of bounding rectangle filled by the 2D shape to account for T concavity (P), volume (V), and concluded microplastic particle mass.
The work was funded by the CUPIDO UKRI FLF grant number MR/T020962/1.
Keywords:
CTD sampling, Microplastic pollution, Scotia Sea, vertical distribution, water column
Birchenall, P., Rowlands, E., & Manno, C. (2026). Microplastic characteristics within the Scotia Sea water column across differing environmental regimes, austral summer 2022-2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/00fa6b5a-2b12-4356-950d-272d90378cef
| Access Constraints: | Data are under embargo until publication of the associated manuscript. |
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| Use Constraints: | This data is 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/). |
| Creation Date: | 2026-03-13 |
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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 PDC |
| Role(s) | Metadata Author |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Philippa Birchenall |
| Role(s) | Technical Contact, Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Emily Rowlands |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Clara Manno |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
| Reference: | Birchenall, P., Rowlands, E., Taylor, L., Manno, C. (in preparation) Vertical Distribution of Microplastics in the Scotia Sea, Southern Ocean. | |
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| Quality: | Precautions were taken at all stages in sample handling and exposure to the environment to mitigate plastic contamination. Microplastics within this dataset are post procedural control corrections, so environmental contamination has been accounted for using the control samples (one from the ship laboratory, and one from the onshore laboratory). Sample collection contamination mitigation protocols: Covering carboy openings with tinfoil when being filled. All carboys were rinsed thoroughly with filtered 0.2 micro meter MilliQ before use, and tubing was rinsed. Sample onboard processing contamination mitigation protocols: Samples were processed in the onboard trace metals laboratory, a clean lab that was repurposed for the duration of the cruise for plastic analysis. In the lab: Vent was shut off to reduce external airflow. Cotton lab coats were worn when entering the room to reduce fiber pollution and nitrile gloves were worn when handling samples and blanks. Similar clothing was worn when filtering, with sleeves pushed up underneath coat to reduce risk of exposure. Worktops were cleaned thoroughly before and after each use. Most analysis was conducted with one person in the room. All MilliQ used was double filtered; once at 0.22 micro meter in the machine and again manually using 0.2 micro meter Sartorius cellulose acetate filter. Samples and filtered Milli Q were covered with tinfoil at every opportunity. Equipment was rinsed x3 with double filtered 0.2 micro meter MilliQ before use (Filtration setup, Metal meshes used, Petri dishes used for housing end samples, Tweezers). One control was created using filtered 0.2 micro meter MilliQ onto a 10-micron metal filter, using the same equipment and in the same environment where all sample processing took place. Sample onshore processing contamination mitigation protocols: Onshore laboratory processing was conducted within an environmentally controlled clean laboratory. Within the room cotton lab coats were always worn; Nitrile gloves were worn during all instances of sample handling and reagent filtering; samples were opened only inside the vacuum hood; and surfaces were regularly wiped down to combat dust buildup. All MilliQ and chemical reagents were pre-filtered with pristine glass equipment through a 0.2 micro meter Sartorius cellulose acetate filter to remove microplastic contamination prior to sample exposure. All containers and tools exposed to samples where rinsed beforehand (x3 MilliQ, x1 Ethanol) and covered with tinfoil at every opportunity to reduce airborne contamination, and then rinsed afterwards back into the sample container to mitigate sample escape. During the filtration, filtration cups were covered with tin foil to reduce airborne contamination, and two 2 micro meter polycarbonate filters were dampened with MilliQ (to replicate the samples being filtered) and placed either side of the filtering setup. They were covered/uncovered whenever the main samples were to account for potential airborne plastic contamination, predominantly fibres. During microFTIR analysis, each open sample was enclosed in an acrylic Perspex box to prevent airborne contamination. One procedural control was created using filtered 0.2 micro meter MilliQ onto an Anodisc filter, using the same equipment in the same environment where all sample processing took place, and then housed in pristine glass containers. Data Processing: Measured spectra were investigated via post processing utilising third party Purency software, which compared spectra to environmental microplastic libraries, and generated datasets on particle dimensions and polymer ID. Polymer matches of >60% where used as indications of microplastic presence, with data further filtered to only include >11um in size. Procedural Control Corrections to main dataset: Both procedural blank samples (onshore laboratory and offshore laboratory) where scanned alongside the main samples, following the same steps for data processing. Procedural blank correction was undertaken via combining polymer abundance data from both procedural blanks, and removing corresponding particle matches from main samples per depth per station. |
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| Lineage/Methodology: | The dataset was created from seawater samples taken via a CTD unit equipped with Niskin bottles at 4 depths: 50m, 150/200m, 500m, and 1000m deployed from the RRS Discovery (Cruise DY158). Seawater samples where concentrated onboard onto metal meshes. Onshore, filtered samples were subjected to chemical purification to remove the organic component in preparation for FTIR analysis. Microplastics present within samples were identified via an Agilent Cary 670 Fourier Transform Infrared (µFTIR) Spectrometer operated in Transmission mode using a cryogenically cooled mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. Measured spectra were investigated via post processing utilising third party Purency software, which compared spectra to environmental microplastic libraries, and generated datasets on particle dimensions and polymer ID. Mass of sampled microplastics was calculated as a product of volume and identified polymer density. Microplastic mass was construed from surface area measurements (A), to account for 2D shape concavity, multiplied by particle thickness (T). T was estimated from length and width measurements assuming equality of the width/length and thickness/width ratios. T concavity was accounted for by calculating an adjusted thickness using P*T, where P=A / (L*W) is the proportion of the bounding rectangle filled by the 2D shape. The overall volume calculation was V=P*T*A. Microparticle mass was subsequently calculated as the product of calculated volume and polymer density, with assumed polymer homogeneity per microplastic particle. |
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| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 2022-12-29 |
| End Date | 2022-12-29 |
| Start Date | 2023-01-11 |
| End Date | 2023-01-11 |
| Start Date | 2023-01-20 |
| End Date | 2023-01-20 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -52.80866 |
| Northernmost | -52.80866 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -40.11383 |
| Easternmost | -40.11383 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | 50 m |
| Max Depth | 1000 m |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -62.61505 |
| Northernmost | -62.61505 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -43.24386 |
| Easternmost | -43.24386 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | 50 m |
| Max Depth | 1000 m |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | -63.9655 |
| Northernmost | -63.9655 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | -28.877 |
| Easternmost | -28.877 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | 50m |
| Max Depth | 1000 m |
| Data Resolution: | |
| Latitude Resolution | N/A |
| Longitude Resolution | N/A |
| Horizontal Resolution Range | N/A |
| Vertical Resolution | 50m, 150/200m, 500m, 1000m |
| Vertical Resolution Range | N/A |
| Temporal Resolution | N/A |
| Temporal Resolution Range | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | Antarctica |
| Detailed Location | Scotia Sea |
| Data Collection: | CTD sampled from: Sea-Bird SBE 9 Microplastic analysis: Agilent Cary 670 Fourier Transform Infrared (microFTIR) Spectrometer operated in Transmission mode using a cryogenically cooled mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector. 3rd party microplastic data processing: Purency, version 4.17 |
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| Data Storage: | Data consist of 1 csv file. |
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