Algal lipids in the Canadian arctic

A total of 44 stations were sampled aboard the Canadian icebreaker CCGS Amundsen in different regions of the Canadian Arctic such as Baffin Bay, Nares Strait, Northwest passage, Beaufort Sea and Labrador Sea. At each station, 12L of water was collected at the surface and at the subsurface chlorophyll maximum in Niskin-type bottles mounted on a rosette sampler.

A set of probes was used to measure the physico-chemical parameters of seawater. The pH of seawater was measured with a spectrophotometer, nutrient data were analyzed aboard from fresh samples, an aliquot was preserved in Lugol acid for taxonomic analysis and seawater filtration (3L) was conducted for further analyses of lipid contents. Phase separation methods with chloform:methanol:water was used for lipid extractions and lipid classes and fatty acid was determined using thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography with flame ionization detection.