Plankton respiration determined as oxygen consumption of plankton within ice and interfacial samples collected during RRS Sir David Attenborough cruise SD035 in the Weddell Sea in February 2024 as part of the PICCOLO project

Microbial respiration is a key determinant in the balance between oceanic storage of organic carbon and production of carbon dioxide. Few data exist for the Southern Ocean, especially for plankton associated with sea ice. Microbial respiration was determined from the oxygen consumption of plankton contained within interfacial seawater samples collected from just below ice floes 8 and 9 and from melted floating brown ice. Samples were collected from the Weddell Sea in February 2024 by scientists from the University of East Anglia and from Plymouth Marine Laboratory as part of the Natural Environment Research Council-funded PICCOLO project during research cruise SD035.