Total Particulate Carbon and Nitrogen Concentration from R/V Melville MV1015 in the S. Pacific from Arica, Chile to Easter Island, 2010 (C-MORE project)

"The South East Pacific (SEP) is characterized by very high nutrient concentrations in the waters adjacent to the Chilean coast, but very low nutrient concentrations (oligotrophic) in the mid- South Pacific Subtropical Gyre (SPSG), near Easter Island. The steep gradient in nutrient concentrations across the region affects the level of marine production, the composition of the microbial community, and the operation of major biogeochemical cycles in ways that are not fully understood. Despite the remarkable diversity of trophic conditions, strong gradients and even some unique singularities, the SEP is still the most sparsely sampled oceanic region of the global ocean from hydrodynamic, biological and biogeochemical points of view. The SPSG is also the most oligotrophic of all sub-tropical gyres. Previous expeditions and remote sensing studies have described the nutrient and chlorophyll field, but there have been few simultaneous measurements of chemical properties with microbial community structure and function. This expedition is designed to investigate the impact of elemental nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, iron, silicon, carbon) ratios on marine productivity and microbial community composition. Samples for PC (particulate carbon) and PN (particulate nitrogen) were collected on a combusted 25mm glass fiber filter (GF/F) and stored in a -80 freezer until analysis. Samples were further analyzed using a Carlo Erba NA 1500 Elemental Analyzer." Time is in GMT. Note: it is questionable if the 500m sample collected on 2010-11-27 was really taken at 500m (see comment on data sheet). This “best guess” for depth was included in the data for CMAP visualization purposes.

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