An increasing number of studies are considering Fe and ligand concentrations, providing data of trace element availability across the remote Southern Ocean region (Ardiningsih et al., 2021, Gerringa et al., 2020, Hassler et al., 2017, Thuroczy et al., 2012, Thuroczy et al., 2011, Caprara et al., 2016 and references therein). However, studies seldom focus on polar coastal environments which are especially sensitive to climate-induced changes. To anticipate how these changes may impact Fe availability, we must first understand the drivers of ligand supply to the Antarctic coast and offshore. The newly compiled Southern Ocean Ligand (SOLt) Collection includes all publicly available Fe complexation datasets for the Southern Ocean including dissolved Fe concentrations, Fe-binding ligand concentrations, and complexation capacities for 25 studies between 1995 - 2019.

Trace element data collected from 18 stations near the Mertz Glacier on the 2019 ENRICH voyage. Sea water was collected using a 12-bottle trace metal rosette (TMR) and acidified for analysis back in Hobart. Samples were measured using an offline seaFAST pre-concentration system and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) at the University of Tasmania. This data contributed to Smith et al., Circumpolar Deep Water and shelf sediments support late summer microbial iron remineralisation in Global Biogeochemical Cycles (2021).

The CANYONS voyage on RV Investigator aimed to investigate past and present processes governing the flow pathways, formation and geochemical signatures of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) off Cape Darnley, East Antarctica. The proposed survey area was focussed on the Wild and Daly canyons and the adjacent sediment drifts - the Daly and ‘Armand’ drifts. The survey aimed to collect systematic multibeam bathymetry and sub-bottom profiles across the region to support collection of long sediment cores (up to 24 m), Kasten cores and multicores, CTDs (conductivity- temperature-depth instruments) and deep towed camera transects This dataset reports analyses of samples collected from the surface uncontaminated "underway" seawater supply on R/V Investigator. The samples were collected while the ship transited from Perth to Cape Darnley. A suite of samples were collected in order to characterise surface ocean particles across the oceanographic gradients that characterise the Southern Ocean. these data were generated by IMAS Honour student Veda Surapaneni, and were included in her honours thesis.

The CANYONS voyage on RV Investigator aimed to investigate past and present processes governing the flow pathways, formation and geochemical signatures of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) off Cape Darnley, East Antarctica. The proposed survey area was focussed on the Wild and Daly canyons and the adjacent sediment drifts - the Daly and ‘Armand’ drifts. The survey aimed to collect systematic multibeam bathymetry and sub-bottom profiles across the region to support collection of long sediment cores (up to 24 m), Kasten cores and multicores, CTDs (conductivity- temperature-depth instruments) and deep towed camera transects. This dataset reports analyses of particulate organic carbon and biogenic silica from two CTD casts conducted in the Cape Darnley region. The voyage was terminated after a medical evacuation so only two CTD stations were occupied. These data were generated by IMAS Honour student Veda Surapaneni, and were included in her honours thesis. The dataset also includes hydrochemistry, DIC, Alkalinity and pigment data generated by CSIRO, although these data are published in other national repositories and reproduced here for completeness and convenience only.

Secchi disk data collected by students on the RV Investigator training voyage (Transit IN2018_T01).

Here, we hypothesize that Fe uptake rates by sea-ice algae and under-ice phytoplankton are higher than the rates reported for open ocean phytoplankton in the SO. We performed 55Fe and carbon (14C) short-term uptake field measurements in, on and under Antarctic sea ice. We collected under ice seawater, melted snow and sea-ice cores. We then spiked them with 14C or 55Fe radiotracers to measure Fe and C uptake rates by sea-ice algae. Samples were then filtered, and residual radioactivity on the filters measured liquid scintillation counter (Packard).