Major ion, nutrient and algal bloom cell concentrations of the supraglacial environment of three Svalbard glaciers via micromelt and bulk sampling methodologies during early ablation, 2023
GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02231
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Summary
Abstract:
This combined dataset presents major ion, macronutrient, and algal cell abundance data from supraglacial samples collected from three glaciers near Ny Alesund, Svalbard (Vestre Broggerbreen, Austre Broggerbreen, and Feiringbreen) during the 2023 ablation season (July 2023). Each glacier was visited twice, with samples collected using two complementary methods: bulk sampling (capturing the combined liquid and ice matrix) and micromelt sampling (isolating the thin surface meltwater liquid fraction only), enabling comparison of analyte recovery between approaches. For each glacier, visit, and sampling method, the dataset reports GPS coordinates, sample replication (n), and concentrations of major ion (Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, SO42-) enrichment relative to Cl-, macronutrients (NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, PO43-), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC), alongside direct cell counts of the glacier algae Ancylonema nordenskioldii and Ancylonema alaskanum, unidentified algal cells, and total cell counts. The dataset comprises four files: site location and replication metadata, summary major ion statistics, and two sample-level datasets of algal cell counts and aqueous geochemistry.
The authors acknowledge funding provided by the Leverhulme Trust (iDAPT RPG-2020-199 to C.Williamson), the National Environmental Research Council (CASP-ICE, NE/Y002636/1 to C.Williamson), and doctoral training funding of E.Broadwell and M.Lewis from the University of Bristol.
Keywords:
Arctic, algal bloom, glacier algae, ice, micromelt, oligotrophic, supraglacial
Citation
Lewis, M., Broadwell, E.L.M., Millar, J.L., Thomas, E.R., Sanchez-Baracaldo, P., & Williamson, C. (2026). Major ion, nutrient and algal bloom cell concentrations of the supraglacial environment of three Svalbard glaciers via micromelt and bulk sampling methodologies during early ablation, 2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/842390af-21ec-433e-b514-e0f00f3f6670
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REFERENCE MATERIALS
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00625-y
- https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaf098
- https://toposvalbard.npolar.no
Constraints
| Access Constraints: | No restrictions apply |
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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/ |
Basic Information
| Creation Date: | 2026-06-23 |
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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 | Madeleine Lewis |
| Role(s) | Investigator, Technical Contact |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Name | Emily L M Broadwell |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Aarhus University |
| Name | Jasmin L Millar |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | Cardiff University |
| Name | Elizabeth R Thomas |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | British Antarctic Survey |
| Name | Patricia Sanchez-Baracaldo |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Name | Christopher J Williamson |
| Role(s) | Investigator |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Parent Dataset: | N/A |
Additional Information
| Reference: | Associated publication: Lewis, M., Broadwell, E.L.M., Millar, J.L., Thomas, E.R., Sanchez-Baracaldo, P. and Williamson, C.J. Micromelt sampling of the glacier algal nutrient environment. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 2025, 101, fiaf098. https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiaf098 Reference materials: Lewis, M. Using a vacuum to collect glacial meltwater from ice. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00625-y Norwegian Polar Institute. TopoSvalbard. Tromso: Norwegian Polar Institute. https://toposvalbard.npolar.no |
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| Quality: | All analyses were completed with MilliQ water blank controls and calibrated to instrument specifications. Replicate numbers for each sample type and site visit are shown in site_metadata_and_replication.csv. Any missing values (NA) are due to sample loss resulting from insufficient sample volume collected in the field. | |
| Lineage/Methodology: | Samples were collected from three high-Arctic glaciers near Ny Alesund, Svalbard, during the early 2023 ablation season: Vestre Broggerbreen (78.91 deg N, 11.75 deg E), Austre Broggerbreen (78.89 deg N, 11.83 deg E) and Feiringbreen (79.00 deg N, 12.44 deg E), each visited twice over a two-week period in July 2023 (Vestre Broggerbreen: 6 and 19 July; Austre Broggerbreen: 14 and 25 July; Feiringbreen: 10 and 22 July) to characterise the progression of early ablation season dynamics. At each visit, supraglacial surface ice was sampled in parallel by two methods (Lewis 2024): a novel micromelt technique, in which a sterile 21-gauge needle attached to a variable speed peristaltic pump (DIPump550, Kamoer, Shanghai, China) was used to directly draw up the thin (around 2 mm) surface meltwater film inhabited by glacier algae without penetrating the underlying main water table, with sample volumes of approximately 1-15 ml collected between 12:00 and 18:00 depending on meltwater availability, following pre-rinsing of the sampling system and pre-acid-washed HDPE collection bottles with adjacent supraglacial stream water via a 10-gauge wide-bore needle, and with in situ digital microscopy (Dino-Lite AM7915MZT with RK-10A stand, Absolute Data Services Ltd) used beforehand to confirm algal cell presence at each site; and a traditional bulk technique, in which a 10 cm x 10 cm area to around 2 cm depth, collected directly adjacent to each micromelt sample, was removed using a chisel and metal scoop (both rinsed with 70 percent ethanol between samples) into a sterile Whirl-Pak bag, capturing the combined ice matrix and micromelt. Site metadata (slope, aspect, elevation, GPS position, RGB image) was recorded at each sampling area using the Phyphox app on an Apple iPhone 12, before transport to the NERC Arctic Research Station. Micromelt samples were processed within 24 h of collection; bulk samples were melted overnight in the dark over 1-2 days at 4 deg C and homogenised prior to processing. For both sample types, around 1 ml was aliquoted into 1.5 ml Eppendorf tubes and fixed with Lugol's solution for glacier algal cell counts, and a further known volume was filtered through a pre-combusted (450 deg C, 5 h) 47 mm diameter GF/F filter (0.7 um retention, Whatman, Maidstone, UK), with the filtrate stored at -20 deg C in pre-acid-washed HDPE bottles for subsequent macronutrient and dissolved organic carbon analysis. All sample processing and laboratory analysis was conducted at the University of Bristol, UK, between 01/08/2023 and 01/04/2025. |
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Locality
| Temporal Coverage: | |
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| Start Date | 2023-07-01 |
| End Date | 2023-07-31 |
| Start Date | 2023-08-01 |
| End Date | 2025-04-01 |
| Spatial Coverage: | |
| Latitude | |
| Southernmost | 78.897 |
| Northernmost | 79.007 |
| Longitude | |
| Westernmost | 11.747 |
| Easternmost | 12.448 |
| Altitude | |
| Min Altitude | N/A |
| Max Altitude | N/A |
| Depth | |
| Min Depth | N/A |
| Max Depth | N/A |
| Location: | |
| Location | Svalbard |
| Detailed Location | Vestre Broggerbreen |
| Location | Svalbard |
| Detailed Location | Austre Broggerbreen |
| Location | Svalbard |
| Detailed Location | Feiringbreen |
Instrumentation
| Data Collection: | Metadata for sampling locations (site_metadata_and_replication.csv) includes GPS coordinates taken via Phyphox app on Apple iPhone 12. Major nutrients (NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, PO34-) were analysed via Gallery Plus discrete Photometric Analyser (Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK), major ions (Na+, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, SO42-) were analysed via a Dionex ICS-5000 Ion Chromatography (Thermo Fisher Scientific, UK) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was analysed via Total Organic Carbon Analyser (Shimadzu) at the University of Bristol Geographical Sciences laboratories (UK). Cell numbers were counted via brightfield microscopy using a Modified Fuchs Rosenthal Haemocytometer (0.2mm x 1/16mm2, Hawksley, Lancing, UK), Bright field Olympus BX41 microscope (Germany) and MicroPublisher 6 CCD camera attachment (Teledyne Photometrics, USA). ImageJ was used for image analysis and Rstudio (R v4.9.4) was used for statistical analysis and plot visualisation. |
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Storage
| Data Storage: | This dataset comprises 4 .csv files: site_metadata_and_replication.csv: GPS coordinates and sample replication numbers (n) for two visits to each of three glaciers near Ny Alesund, Svalbard, during July 2023. For each visit, replication is given for cellular abundance and aqueous geochemistry analysis collected via bulk and micromelt sampling methods. Corresponds to Supplementary Table 1 of the associated publication. major_ion_summary_statistics.csv: Summary statistics for major ion concentrations (Na+, Cl-, Ca2+, Mg2+, K+, SO42-) measured in supraglacial micromelt and bulk samples from the three glaciers. For each glacier, sampling method and ion, the table reports sample size (n), enrichment factor relative to Cl- in seawater (EF), concentration range (min-max), mean +/- standard error (all in ueqL-1), and limit of detection (LoD). LoD was calculated as the mean concentration of calibration blanks (n = 3) plus three times their standard deviation. Corresponds to Table 1 of the associated publication. algal_cell_counts.csv: Sample-level direct cell counts of the glacier algae Ancylonema nordenskioldii and Ancylonema alaskanum, retrieved from supraglacial surface ice of all three glaciers via micromelt and bulk sampling methods. 'Other' refers to unidentified algal cells and 'Total' refers to all cell types counted. Sampling and count generation for micromelt samples was undertaken by Madeleine Lewis; for bulk samples by Dr Emily L. M. Broadwell. Corresponds to Figure 3 of the associated publication. aqueous_geochemistry.csv: Sample-level major ion and macronutrient concentrations (NH4+, NO3-, NO2-, PO43-) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in supraglacial samples from all three glaciers, taken via micromelt and bulk sampling methods. Corresponds to Figure 4 of the associated publication. Sample IDs across different files correspond to the same samples, and follow the standard format location+timepoint+method+replicate. For example, 'vb2m7' = Vestre Broggerbreen ('vb'), visit 2 ('2'), micromelt ('m'), replicate 7. No timepoint digit indicates visit 1. Not every sample was analysed for both aqueous geochemistry and algal cell counts, so some IDs only appear in one of the two files. For Vestre Broggerbreen bulk samples from visit 1 specifically, IDs additionally distinguish two parallel sample sets collected by different team members at different times of day: an 'm' series (morning) and an 'e' series (evening). |
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