[ASPIRE Upper Water Column Inventories] - Biogeochemical inventories in the upper water column of the Pacific sector of the coastal Antarctic as measured on the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) during December 2010 to January 2011 (Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition)

They are also climate sensitive, with both sea ice extent and glacial melt influencing their productivity. The Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP) is the greenest polynya in the Southern Ocean, with summertime chlorophyll a concentrations exceeding 20 micrograms per liter.

During the Amundsen Sea Polynya International Research Expedition (ASPIRE) in the austral summer of 2010–11, we aimed to determine the fate of this high algal productivity. We collected water column profiles for total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and nutrients, particulate and dissolved organic matter, chlorophyll a, mesozooplankton, and microbial biomass to make a carbon budget for this ecosystem. We also measured primary and secondary production, and community respiration rates.