Description: Samples in this dataset were collected at the long-term ecological research (LTER) site HAUSGARTEN in Fram Strait, and the central Arctic Ocean. On board, the samples were fixed with formalin in a final concentration of 2% for 10 – 12 hours, then filtered onto 0.2 µm polycarbonate Nucleopore Track-Etched filters, and stored at -20°C for further analysis. Cell abundances of the groups Alteromonas, Bacteroidia, Polaribacter, Gammaproteobacteria and the SAR11 clade were asses using CAtalyzed reporter deposition Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (CARD-FISH) following the protocol established by (Pernthaler et al., 2002). The filters were evaluated microscopically under an automated microscope (Zeder et al., 2011). Cell enumeration was performed with the software Automated Cell Measuring and Enumeration Tool (ACMETool3, 2018-11-09; Zeder et al., 2011). Cells were counted as objects according to manually defined parameters separately for the DAPI and FISH channels.

Description: Here we provide dissolved inorganic nutrient data generated via the analysis of samples collected by autonomous instruments, in particular Remote Access Samplers (RAS) and associated sensor data (CTD-O2, PAR, Fluorescence, pH, pCO2). Data was collected within the frame of the AWI Frontiers in Arctic Marine Monitoring (FRAM) Programme and HAUSGARTEN LTO. A report is also provided, which includes basic data about the data, which are associated with two Polarstern expeditions; PS99 (grant AWI_PS99_0) and PS107 (AWI_PS107_05).

Description: Improved comparability of nutrient concentrations in seawater is required to enhance the quality and utility of measurements reported to global databases. Significant progress has been made over recent decades in improving the analysis and data quality for traditional laboratory measurements of nutrients. Similar efforts are required to establish high-quality data outputs from in situ nutrient sensors, which are rapidly becoming integral components of ocean observing systems. This paper suggests using the good practices routine established for laboratory reference methods to propose a harmonized set of deployment protocols and of quality control procedures for nutrient measurements obtained from in situ sensors. These procedures are intended to establish a framework to standardize the technical and analytical controls carried out on the three main types of in situ nutrient sensors currently available (wet chemical analyzers, ultraviolet optical sensors, electrochemical sensors) for their deployments on all kinds of platform. The routine reference controls that can be applied to the sensors are listed for each step of sensor use: initial qualification under controlled conditions in the laboratory, preparation of the sensor before deployment, field deployment and finally the sensor recovery. The fundamental principles applied to the laboratory reference method are then reviewed in terms of the calibration protocol, instrumental interferences, environmental interferences, external controls, and method performance assessment. Data corrections (linearity, sensitivity, drifts, interferences and outliers) are finally identified along with the concepts and calculations for qualification for both real time and time delayed data. This paper emphasizes the necessity of future collaborations between research groups, reference-accredited laboratories, and technology developers, to maintain comparability of the concentrations reported for the various nutrient parameters measured by in situ sensors.

Description: Automated sampling technologies can enhance the temporal and spatial resolution of marine microbial observations, particularly in remote and inaccessible areas. A critical aspect of automated microbiome sampling is the preservation of nucleic acids over long-term autosampler deployments. Understanding the impact of preservation method on microbial metabarcoding is essential for implementing genomic observatories into existing infrastructure, and for establishing best practices for the regional and global synthesis of data. The present study evaluates the effect of two preservatives commonly used in autosampler deployments (mercuric chloride and formalin) and two extraction kits (PowerWater and NucleoSpin) on amplicon sequencing of 16S and 18S rRNA gene over 50 weeks of sample storage. Our results suggest the combination of mercuric chloride preservation and PowerWater extraction as most adequate for 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon-sequencing from the same seawater sample. This approach provides consistent information on species richness, diversity and community composition in comparison to control samples (nonfixed, filtered and frozen) when stored up to 50 weeks at in situ temperature. Preservation affects the recovery of certain taxa, with specific OTUs becoming overrepresented (SAR11 and diatoms) or underrepresented (Colwellia and pico-eukaryotes) after preservation. In case eukaryotic sequence information is the sole target, formalin preservation and NucleoSpin extraction performed best. Our study contributes to the design of long-term autonomous microbial observations in remote ocean areas, allowing cross-comparison of microbiome dynamics across sampling devices (e.g., water and particle samplers) and marine realms.