Microbiological data from basal ice from the Greenland Ice Sheet, 2015-2017

Little is known about the diversity of microorganisms and range of habitable environments that exist beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet. Debris-rich basal ice layers are one potential habitat as they reflect interaction with the ice-sheet bed, and the incorporation of basal debris, which can serve as carbon, nutrient and energy sources for microbes. This project characterized microbial (bacterial and viral) properties of basal ice from a number of locations in Greenland. Data on microbial biomass were collected for five basal ice samples from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Four samples were from deep ice cores, NEEM, DYE3 and GISP2 and one sample was from the Grant Land Glacier (GLG). For each ice sample, cell and viral counts were completed and qPCR of bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences were performed. For two samples (GLG and DYE3) activity assays using a range of carbon sources were conducted. This research has broader implications for understanding light independent, cold ecosystems that operate in near isolation for extended periods of time.