Primary productivity estimates from the incubation of seawater collected at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site from December 1988 through December 2023

Data presented are primary production estimates at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site in the Sargasso Sea from December 1988 (BATS Cruise 3) through December 2023 (BATS cruise 399). The rate of carbon fixation by autotrophs in seawater was determined by tracing the uptake of radioactive 14C from the inorganic form to the particulate organic form. Incubations were performed in situ at depths ranging from the surface to 140 meters from dusk to dawn. Seawater samples were collected prior to sunrise, separated into three light bottles and one dark bottle, and a radioactive 14C tracer added. The bottles were then deployed on an incubation array at their collection depths, and allowed to drift on the array for the full light day. Samples were recovered after sunset and filtered for subsequent analysis on a liquid scintillation counter.