California Current Ecosystem LTER

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Pteropod Shell Lengths

Title
Shell lengths of pteropod, Limacina helicina antarctica, collected from the PAL LTER sediment trap along the Western Antarctic Peninsula, 2004 - 2018, and from net tows 2017-2018.

Abstract
Pteropod, Limacina helicina antarctica, is an abundant zooplankton along the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) and prey for higher trophic organisms. Changes in the pteropod (pelagic snail) phenology (life history) have important implications for regional food web dynamics. Pteropod shell lengths were collected from the PAL LTER sediment trap located along the northern continental shelf of the PAL LTER sampling grid, 2004-2018. PAL LTER has deployed a time-series trap near 64.5° S, 66.0° W since late 1992. The trap is moored in 300 m depth and collects sinking particles at 170 m. Pteropod samples are stored in 21 sample collection bottles on the sediment trap that were prepared with a Milli-Q deionized water rinse and filled with 7.5 g NaCl l-1 solution and 2% borate-buffered formalin in filtered seawater (34 ppt), with a final salinity concentration of 41 ppt. L. h. antarctica shell lengths also collected during the PAL LTER 2018 January offshore cruise and for four months at Palmer Station, Anvers Island (November 2017 to February 2018). L. h. antarctica and all other macrozooplankton collection on the PAL LTER cruise are performed with a 2 m square frame Metro net (700 µm mesh), towed obliquely to a depth of 120 m. At Palmer Station, pteropods are collected with a 1 m x 1 m square frame Metro net (700 µm mesh) and a 1 m diameter ring net (200 or 500 µm mesh), towed obliquely to a depth of ~50 m. Shell lengths are determined by measuring from the opening of the shell aperture directly across the diameter of the shell. The shell lengths analyzed within the WAP region are used to determine phenology patterns in pteropod population dynamics and changes thereof over time.
Keywords
food webs, time series, zooplankton, sedimentation, oceans, climate

LTER Data System Record
http://dx.doi.org/10.6073/pasta/237226c00e89aa0435d825d7015b3a8f
Projects
Palmer Station Antarctica LTER

Creators
Thibodeau, Patricia (pthibode15@gmail.com)

Contact
CCE LTER Information Manager (ccelter.im@gmail.com)

Other Personnel
Steinberg, Debbie

Data

table PteropodDiameter_SedimentTrap
Pteropod, Limacina helicina antarctica, shell diameters from sediment trap deployments (2004-2018). 		Rows: 5798
Columns: 5 		View / Download
table PteropodDiameter_NetTowGrid
Pteropod, Limacina helicina antarctica, shell diameters from net tows at PAL LTER grid station 583.313 in 2018. 		Rows: 69
Columns: 3 		View / Download
table PteropodDiameter_NetTowStation
Pteropod, Limacina helicina antarctica, shell diameters from net tows at Palmer Station 2017-2018. 		Rows: 9061
Columns: 7 		View / Download

Methods

Sediment trap methods
Palmer LTER deploys a McLane Mark IV PARFLUX 21H sediment trap. This is the same design and deployment protocol employed by the former US JGOFS Time Series sites at Bermuda in the Ocean Flux Program (http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/conte/ofp/). Pteropods were picked from cups and shell diameters measured. Detailed descriptions of analytical methods with pteropod shell lengths are given in: Thibodeau, P. S., D. K. Steinberg, C. E. McBride, J. A. Conroy, N. Keul, and H. W. Ducklow. Long-term observations of pteropod phenology along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Deep Sea Research I. Submitted.

Zooplankton net tow methods
Pteropods and all other macrozooplankton collection on the PAL LTER cruise are performed with a 2 m square frame Metro net (700 µm mesh), towed obliquely to a depth of 120 m. Detailed description of macrozooplankton collection given in: Steinberg, D. K., K. E. Ruck, M. R. Gleiber, L. M. Garzio, J. S. Cope, K. S. Bernard, S. E. Stammerjohn, O. M. E. Schofield, L. B. Quetin, and R. M. Ross, 2015. Long-term (1993-2013) changes in macrozooplankton off the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Deep-Sea Research I. 101: 54-70. At Palmer Station, pteropods are collected with a 1 m x 1 m square frame Metro net (700 µm mesh) and a 1 m diameter ring net (200 or 500 µm mesh), towed obliquely to a depth of ~50 m. Detailed descriptions of analytical methods with pteropod shell lengths are given in: Thibodeau, P. S., D. K. Steinberg, C. E. McBride, J. A. Conroy, N. Keul, and H. W. Ducklow. Long-term observations of pteropod phenology along the Western Antarctic Peninsula. Deep Sea Research I. Submitted.

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