Sediment characteristics (Chla, Phaeo, TOC, TN, δ13C, δ15N, grain size) at stations in the Weddell Sea (POLARSTERN cruise PS 96, ANT-XXXI/2, December 2015–February 2016)

This dataset contains abiotic and biotic data from sediment samples from nine sites in the Weddell Sea (mostly South-Eastern). Data are provided for sediment pigments (chlorophyll a and phaeopigment content through fluorometry), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), stable isotope values of carbon and nitrogen (δ13C, δ15N) and grain size (silt&clay 1000 µm). Before the TOC and carbon isotope analysis the sediment samples were acidified to eliminate inorganic carbon. A minimum of three replicate samples (cores) were collected using a MUC10 multicorer or giant box corer. Sediment cores were subsampled with a 60-ml syringe (inner diameter 2.7 cm) for stations 017, 026, 061, 072, and with a 10-ml syringe (inner diameter 1 cm) for stations 001, 037, 048, 104, 115. Subsamples were sliced in 1-cm steps down to 5 cm depth. Detailed methods are described in Säring et al. (submitted) except for stable isotopes: Flash combustion in a Flash 2000 (Thermo) elemental analyser to a Delta V advantage (Thermo) isotope ratio masspectrometer. δ values are reported relative to atmospheric N2 (δ15N) and Vienna PeeDee Belemnite (δ13C). Reference materials for stable isotope analysis: IAEA-N1, IAEA-N2, IAEA-N3, NBS 22, IAEA-CH-3 and IAEA-CH-6; calibration material: Acetanilide (Merck). The analytical precision for both stable isotope ratios was <±0.2‰. Cores with the label -e (Environment) were only used to collect the above data. Environmental and fauna data were collected from cores with the label -i (Incubation). This data table is part of a larger study analysing the role of environmental parameters for meio- and macrofaunal community composition (see Related to below).