BGS Hosted Metadata
Locations, descriptors, cell observations and model output for snow algae samples, Robert Island, South shetland islands, 2023
This dataset is a sequential list of all the terrestrial snow and ice samples taken at Robert Island, Antarctica from January 2023 to March 2023. Sample date, location, bloom colour and what the sample was subsequently used for (metabolomics, pigment, DNA, DOC, FTIR, CN), along with cell counts is provided. Cell counts and biometric measurements of Ancylonema are included in the dataset. The samples were taken by small 15ml or 50ml plastic tube sampling in the snow pack or on the icecap hard ice. This was to study the habitat and ecosystem progression over the season and linking this to other satellite or drone or vegetation data. A remote sensing output (red snow algae vector for Robert Island) was also produced. The expedition and sampling was carried out by Matthew Davey (PI), Alex Thomson, Andrew Gray, Hannah Moulton, Charlotte Walshaw with support from INACH, Chile and BAS. This was part of a wider project with Claudia Colesie, Naomi Thomas, Peter Convey, Alison G. Smith, Peter Fretwell, Lloyd Peck. Samples were transferred to UK (SAMS) for further analysis.
This project was funded by Standard NERC References: NE/V000764/1 and NE/V000896/1. The past, present and future of snow algae in Antarctica: a threatened terrestrial ecosystem?
Simple
- Date (Creation)
- 2025-02-12
- Date (Revision)
- 2025-02-12
- Date (Publication)
- 2025-02-12
- Date (released)
- 2025-02-12
- Edition
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1.0
- Unique resource identifier
- https://doi.org/10.5285/afd8a811-6e5e-4441-a409-0e6924c36fc4
- Codespace
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doi
- Unique resource identifier
- GB/NERC/BAS/PDC/02014
- Codespace
- Unique resource identifier
- NE/V000764/1
- Codespace
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award
- Unique resource identifier
- NE/V000896/1
- Codespace
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award
- Other citation details
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Please cite this item as: Davey, M., Thomson, A., Thomas, N., Gray, A., Smith, A., Colesie, C., Walshaw, C., Fretwell, P., Peck, L., Moulton, H., & Convey, P. (2025). Locations, descriptors, cell observations and model output for snow algae samples, Robert Island, South shetland islands, 2023 (Version 1.0) [Data set]. NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre. https://doi.org/10.5285/afd8a811-6e5e-4441-a409-0e6924c36fc4
- Credit
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No credit.
- Status
- Completed
- Point of contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role Scottish Association for Marine Science, Plant Sciences
Davey, Matt
Author Scottish Association for Marine Science, Plant Sciences
Thomson, Alex
Author Scottish Association for Marine Science, Plant Sciences
Thomas, Naomi
Author The University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences
Gray, Andrew
Author University of Cambridge
Smith, Alison
Author The University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences
Colesie, Claudia
Author The University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences
Walshaw, Charlotte
Author British Antarctic Survey Fretwell, Peter
Author British Antarctic Survey Peck, Lloyd
Author British Antarctic Survey Moulton, Hannah
Author British Antarctic Survey Convey, Peter
Author NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Point of contact
- Maintenance and update frequency
- As needed
- Maintenance note
- Completed
- Theme
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Antarctica
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Ice Algae
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Microbiology
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Remote Sensing
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Robert Island
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Snow Algae
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- Place
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Robert Island South Shetland Islands
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GEMET - INSPIRE themes, version 1.0
- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
- no limitations to public access
- Access constraints
- Other restrictions
- Other constraints
- no limitations
- Use constraints
- License
- Other constraints
- This dataset is supplied under the Open Government Licence v3.0: https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/
- Unique resource identifier
- url
- Codespace
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url
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- url
- Codespace
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url
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Unique resource identifier
- url
- Codespace
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url
- Association Type
- Larger work citation
- Unique resource identifier
- url
- Codespace
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url
- Association Type
- Cross reference
- Spatial representation type
- Text, table
- Language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Topic category
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- Biota
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- Begin date
- 2023-01-07
- End date
- 2023-02-18
- Supplemental Information
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It is recommended that careful attention be paid to the contents of any data, and that the author be contacted with any questions regarding appropriate use. If you find any errors or omissions, please report them to polardatacentre@bas.ac.uk.
- Title
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European Petroleum Survey Group (EPSG) Geodetic Parameter Registry
- Date (Publication)
- 2008-11-12
- Cited responsible party
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role European Petroleum Survey Group
Publisher
- Unique resource identifier
- urn:ogc:def:crs:EPSG::3031
- Version
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6.18.3
Distributor
- Distributor contact
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Distributor
- Units of distribution
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bytes
- Transfer size
- 1
- OnLine resource
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Protocol Linkage Name WWW:LINK-1.0-http--link
http://ramadda.data.bas.ac.uk/repository/entry/show?entryid=afd8a811-6e5e-4441-a409-0e6924c36fc4 Get Data
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Statement
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Methodology:
Snow algae and ice cap surface samples were collected in 50 ml sterile plastic sample tubes at locations across the north-west part of Robert Island's ice cap (South Shetland Islands, maritime Antarctic; 62°22'44.4"S 59°42'1.78"W) between 7 January 2023 and 18 February 2023. Sampling locations were chosen to encompass a range of snow and ice surface types.
50 ml and 15 ml samples were taken from the top 3 cm of snow or ice weathering crust. Samples were transported within 1 - 3 h to the laboratory at the Chilean (INACH) station Luis Risopatrón, Coppermine Cove, on Robert Island for sample processing, cell counts and field microscopy.
Sample tubes were thawed at air temperature (<10 °C) within the research station within 1 - 5 h of sampling. Cell counts were obtained manually by counting auto-fluorescent cells in 2 x 10 µl aliquots from each sample on an Invitrogen Countess 3 FL Automated Cell Counter. The identification of algal cells was based on morphological features observed from the cell counter images. An additional 10 µl aliquot was taken for field microscopy and imaging of the fresh samples using a Dino-lite microscope (Taiwan). Samples for additional microscopy in the UK were prepared by centrifuging a 15 ml aliquot of the sample tube for 2 min at 3,000 rpm, removing the snow-melt supernatant, resuspending the pellet, and transferring it to a 2 ml microfuge tube before being stored at -20 °C. Sample pellets for the metabolomics, pigments, FTIR and total CN were freeze-dried on Robert Island for analysis in the UK. Samples were collected from Robert Island by the RRS Sir David Attenborough (SDA) on 24 February 2023 where they were stored at -20 °C and transported to the UK.
Ancylonema cell counts were obtained manually by identifying Ancylonema cells from the Countess 3 FL output images. Due to the poor resolution of the Countess images it was not possible to calculate individual cell counts of other species groups present. An additional 10 µl aliquot was taken for field microscopy and imaging of the fresh samples using a Dino-lite microscope (Taiwan). Biometric measurement of cell length and width for Ancylonema cells were taken from calibrated Dino-lite imagery (n = 570 cells from 37 samples).
The extent of algae on the Robert Island ice cap was determined within a WorldView 2 satellite image (Maxar Technologies), taken on 6 February 2023, coincident with our fieldwork. Using the methodology outlined in Gray, A., Krolikowski, M., Fretwell, P., Convey, P., Peck, L. S., Mendelova, M., Smith, A. G., Davey, M. P., 2021. Remote Sensing Phenology of Antarctic Green and Red Snow Algae Using WorldView Satellites. Frontiers in Plant Science, 12, 877-877. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPLS.2021.671981/BIBTEX, algal presence on the ice cap was classified based on chlorophyll-a absorbance within each pixel. This was calculated on a per-pixel basis using Equation 3, which describes the scaled integral of WorldView 2's Band 4 versus Band 3 and Band 5, the centres of which are located within and on either shoulder of the chlorophyll absorption feature .
Though this method was originally optimised for detecting algae in snow, it successfully separated every HDRF sample from the background snow or weathering crust, when the equation in Gray et al. 2021 was applied to the collected HDRF spectra. However, an ice cap surface is more complex than a pure snow environment, with snow, weathering crust, glacial ice and different loadings of mineral debris. We do not have enough field spectra from this study to fully deconvolve cell densities based on chlorophyll- a absorption alone. Correlation between the equation in Gray et al. 2021 derived and measured cell densities for the HDRF samples we collected only had an R2 of 0.24. We therefore report a binary presence/absence classification of alg...(7)
Data collection:
Instrumentation:
Automated cell counter Thermo Countess 3.
Freeze drier - HarvestRight Home Pro.
Data quality:
Missing coordinate values are due to coordinates not taken on that field day or location due to weather conditions or battery of GPS unit.
Metadata
- File identifier
- afd8a811-6e5e-4441-a409-0e6924c36fc4 XML
- Metadata language
- English
- Character set
- UTF8
- Hierarchy level
- Dataset
- Hierarchy level name
-
dataset
- Date stamp
- 2025-02-12
- Metadata standard name
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ISO 19115 Geographic Information - Metadata
- Metadata standard version
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ISO 19115:2003(E)
- Metadata author
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Organisation name Individual name Electronic mail address Role NERC EDS UK Polar Data Centre Point of contact
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