Microbial community structure (DNA) and metabolic data (oxygen utilization) from Coastal Alaska during the 2023 Arctic Chief Scientist Training Cruise

These data were extracted from water samples collected from R/V Sikuliaq hydrographic stations during the 2023 University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) and Arctic Icebreaker Coordinating Committee (AICC) sponsored Arctic Chief Scientist Cruise. The primary goal of this program is to provide hands on training for early career researchers to gain skills and confidence in organizing and leading polar scientific research expeditions. The 2023 expedition (SKQ202309T; June 6–12) followed a coastal Alaska cruise track through the Aleutian Islands and across the Bering Sea. This dataset was specifically collected to provide a survey of microbial community composition and metabolic activity for this cruise transect. At eight stations, seawater microbial community composition was measured broadly using amplicon gene sequencing (16S/18S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene and Synechcoccus internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region) and metagenomic sequencing (data available through the National Center for Biotechnology Information; NCBI BioProject ID PRJNA1240040). At three stations, oxygen utilization assays were additionally used to measure rates of net community production and community respiration (data provided here).