Physical ice core properties from ice stations during POLARSTERN cruise PS118

For physical analyses, a total of 21 texture ice cores with a diameter of 0.09 m were taken from 14 of the 15 ice stations during the PS118 expedition, with 5 cores covering the entire ice column and the remaining cores comprise only the top sections measuring at least 50 cm. In the cold laboratory on board, detailed analyses of the ice texture were performed on vertical thick sections between cross polarizers to determine ice crystal properties. Based on the ice texture, the ice cores were sliced into sections up to 15 cm and melted for the following analysis of vertical salt (on board) and isotope profiles (in laboratory back home). At level, virtually representative locations of each floe, physical and biogeochemical ice properties