Ice core meiofauna during the SIPEX and SIPEX II voyages

Zooplankton were collected during the winter-spring transition during two cruises of the Aurora Australis: SIPEX in 2007 and SIPEX II in 2012. As part of the collections sea ice cores were collected to describe the ice habitat during the period of zooplankton collections. Ice cores were taken with a 20 cm diameter SIPRE corer and sectioned in the field with an ice core. Temperature was measured in the section using a spike thermometer and slivers of each section were melted without filtered water to record salinity. The remainders of each section were melted at 4oC in filtered seawater and the melted water was used to measure chlorophyll a concentration, and meiofauna species and abundance. Meiofauna were counted and identified using a Leica M12 microscope: to species in most cases and down to stage during 2012.

本研究在南极光号科考船（Aurora Australis）2007年海冰过程实验（SIPEX）与2012年海冰过程实验二期（SIPEX II）两次航次的冬春过渡时段内，采集了浮游动物样本。作为本次采样工作的组成部分，研究人员同步采集海冰岩芯，以表征浮游动物采样时段内的海冰生境。海冰岩芯采用直径20 cm的SIPRE冰芯钻采集，并在野外进行分段处理。每段岩芯的温度通过刺入式温度计测定；取每段岩芯的碎屑样品，不添加过滤海水进行融化以测定盐度。每段岩芯的剩余样品置于4℃的过滤海水中融化，所得融水用于测定叶绿素a浓度，以及小型后生动物（meiofauna）的物种组成与丰度。小型后生动物的计数与鉴定工作采用徕卡M12型显微镜完成：多数类群可鉴定至物种水平，2012年航次中还可进一步鉴定至发育阶段。