Acetate oxidation and assimilation rates measured by radiotracer assays in oil the northern Gulf of Mexico water column

Radiotracer approach with the addition of 14C-labelled acetate to the seawater was used to determine the microbial assimilation of acetate into particulate cell biomass (as a carbon source), and the oxidation of acetate to carbon dioxide (as an energy source) in the northern Gulf of Mexico as well as through the chemocline of the Orca Basin brine basin. The dataset reports geochemistry of the study sites, oxidation and assimilation rates of acetate, and bacterial production rates. All rate measurements were performed using radiotracer techniques. The effect of various nutrient additions on acetate oxidation and assimilation was also tested from select sites. Data were collected during Cruises EN559 (May 31st to June 20th, 2015) and EN586 (August 8th to 10th, 2016).