Counts and shell weights of planktonic foraminifera in the Fram Strait from mooring FEVI30 at AWI HAUSGARTEN

Absolute counts and average shell weights of distinct species of planktonic at the central station of the LTER (Long-Term Ecological Research) HAUSGARTEN observatory in the Fram Strait at two depths intervals (213 m, 2319 m) from a one-year time period (24.06.2014 to 15.07.2015). Samples were collected with two modified automatic Kiel sediment traps installed in a bottom-tethered long-term mooring. Foraminifera shells from a split of each sample, representing 15-30 days within the whole sampling period (20 samples in total), were picked from the wet samples in 2020-2021. The counts of planktonic foraminifera represent the number of shells in the indicated split (i.e. not in the total sample). Species determination was done based on Brummer and Kucera (2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/jm-41-29-2022). Weight measurements were conducted on bulk samples (per species and sample) using a Sartorius SE2 ultra-micro balance (nominal resolution of 0.1 µg), divided by the number of shells in the sample to get the average weight per shell. Measurements were either conducted on the whole sample (per species), or, in samples containing more than 200 foraminifera shells, on at maximum 200 shells representing the variety of shells present in the samples. Counts and measurements were conducted to calculate mass fluxes of planktonic foraminifera at different depth intervals throughout a whole seasonal cycle.