DOI: 10.5061/dryad.w6m905qwz
title: Data from: Deep-living and diverse Antarctic seaweeds are potentially important contributors to global carbon fixation

description: Global models predict that Antarctica has little suitable habitat for
 macroalgae and that Antarctic macroalgae therefore make a negligible
 contribution to global carbon fixation. However, coastal surveys are rare
 at southern polar latitudes (beyond 71° S), and here we report diverse and
 abundant macroalgal assemblages in un-navigated coastal habitats of the
 Ross Sea from 71.5˚ – 74.5˚ S. We found extensive macroalgal assemblages
 living at depths &gt;70 m and specimens of crustose coralline algae as
 deep as 125 m. Using global light modelling and published photosynthetic
 rates we estimate that Antarctic macroalgae may contribute between 0.9 –
 2.8 % of global macroalgal carbon fixation. Combined, this suggests that
 Antarctic macroalgae may be a greater contributor to global carbon
 fixation and possibly sequestration than previously thought. The
 vulnerability of these coastal environments to climate change, especially
 shifting sea ice extent and persistence, could influence Southern Ocean
 carbon fixation and rates of long-term sequestration.
description: # Deep-living and diverse Antarctic seaweeds are potentially important
 contributors to global carbon fixation [Access this dataset on
 Dryad](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w6m905qwz) Data supporting the
 following manuscript "Deep-living and diverse Antarctic seaweeds as
 potentially important contributors to global carbon fixation" *Leigh
 W. Tait, Caroline Chin, Wendy Nelson, Steve George, Peter Marriott,
 Richard L. O’Driscoll, Miles Lamare, Sadie Mills, Vonda J. Cummings
 *[[leigh.tait@niwa.co.nz](mailto:leigh.tait@niwa.co.nz)] Data includes
 estimates of abundance of seaweed taxa on the seafloor across the Northern
 Victoria Land coast, Ross Sea, Antarctica. This includes: \- Metadata of
 video transects
 ["Antarctic_Seaweed_Metadata_TAN2101_TAN2302_Dryad.xlsx"] \-
 Seaweed density across transects
 ["Antarctic_Seaweeds_TAN2101_TAN2302.csv"] \- Modelled outputs
 of light attenuation across sites
 ["Light_transects_TAN2021_TAN2302.csv"] # Description ##
 Antarctic\_Seaweed\_Metadata\_TAN2101\_TAN2302\_Dryad * Full geographic
 information associated with study sites. Data and metadata descriptions
 within ## Antarctic\_Seaweeds\_TAN2101\_TAN2302 -Station_no: numbered code
 given to the station -Region: code of the region being surveyed [CA = Cape
 Adare, CH = Cape Hallet, PI = Possession Islands, RB = Robertsons Bay, WB
 = Wood Bay] -Depth: Average depth of the video transect [m] -Taxa: Broad
 taxonomic group of algae observed -Abundance: number of individual thalli
 observed -Area: Area of seafloor covered by video [m2] -Density: Number of
 thalli per m2 ## Light\_transects\_TAN2021\_TAN2302 -Region: Region
 assessed [Peninsula = West Antarctic Peninsula] -Transect: Number of
 transect [1-2] -Depth: Estimated water depth of cell [m] -EBED:
 Photosynthetically active radiation at the seabed [mol m-2 day-1] -PAR:
 Photosynthetically active radiation at the surface [mol m-2 day-1] -KDPAR:
 Attenuation coefficient of light through the water ## Description of the
 data and file structure The data presented here come from towed-camera
 transects of the seafloor in the Northern Victoria Land region of the Ross
 Sea, Antarctica. At depths between 40-250 m towed camera transects were
 used to analyse the abundance of attached seaweeds. The metadata of
 stations examined, and average density of multiple seaweed functional
 groups at stations. In addition, the outputs of light attenuation
 modelling are provided. Files:
 "Antarctic_Seaweed_Metadata_TAN2101_TAN2302_Dryad.xlsx"
 "Antarctic_Seaweeds_TAN2101_TAN2302.csv"
 "Light_transects_TAN2021_TAN2302.csv"
 "Antarctic_Seaweed_RScript_Tait_etal_2024.txt" Descriptions:
 "Antarctic_Seaweed_Metadata_TAN2101_TAN2302_Dryad.xlsx" -
 Metadata of video transects, date and time, locations, gear, depth,
 distance covered. "Antarctic_Seaweeds_TAN2101_TAN2302.csv" -
 Density of seaweed functional groups across video transects
 "Light_transects_TAN2021_TAN2302.csv" - Outputs of light
 modelling for seafloor regions of the Ross Sea
 "Antarctic_Seaweed_RScript_Tait_etal_2024.txt" - R sripts used
 to plot, analyse and model the above datasets ## Sharing/Access
 information Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data and
 code: *
 [https://github.com/taitlw/Antarctic_Seaweed](https://github.com/taitlw/Antarctic_Seaweed) Data (Light_transects...) was derived from the following sources: * [https://github.com/jpgattuso/CoastalLight](https://github.com/jpgattuso/CoastalLight)