IMOS - Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) - Quality Assessment and Control Report - Remote Access Sampler: Sample Analysis, Phytoplankton Analysis

This report details the quality control procedures applied to the data from samples collected by the Remote Access water Sampler (McLane RAS 500) deployed on the SOTS and Pulse moorings between 2009 and 2019. The quality controlled datasets are publicly available via the AODN Data Portal. This report should be consulted when using the data.

The Southern Ocean Time Series (SOTS) Observatory located at 140°E and 47°S provides high temporal resolution observations in sub-Antarctic waters. It is focused on the sub-Antarctic Zone because waters formed at the surface in this region slide under warmer subtropical and tropical waters, carrying CO2 and heat into the deep ocean, where it is out of contact with the atmosphere. This process also supplies oxygen for deep ocean ecosystems, and exports nutrients that fuel ~70% of global ocean primary production. This region is also the boundary between the nutrient rich waters of the Southern Ocean and the oligotrophic subtropical gyres to the north. These processes are sensitive to climate change, but the probable nature and impacts are not yet known.