Coccolithophore community composition and abundance by light microscopy from CTD bottles and surface underway samples during the Atlantic Meridional Transect AMT16 cruise in May-June 2005

This dataset contains coccolithophore abundance data from CTD bottles and surface underway samples collected during the AMT16 cruise in the Atlantic between Cape Town, South Africa and the United Kingdom in May-June 2005. Bottle samples were collected from 6 light depths from the pre-dawn (between approximately 03:00 - 04:30 local time) and noon CTD casts. Surface samples were collected approximately every 3 to 6 hours from the non-toxic water supply. Microscope enumeration of coccolithophores and coccoliths was performed by filtering a 100 - 500 millilitre water sample through a Millipore HA filter, which was then rinsed with borate buffer, and frozen in a petri dish until counted. The filter was placed on a glass microscope slide, and a 60 degrees Celsius Canada Balsam was placed on top of the filter, followed by a cover slip. The clarified filter was examined for birefringent and plated coccolithophore counts, with an Olympus BH2 microscope equipped with polarization optics. For statistical reasons, 200 coccoliths or cells were counted from each sample, when available. These data were collected for the Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) project by scientists from the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.