Annual hydrographic variability in Antarctic coastal waters infused with glacial inflow

Abstract

Abstract. During the thirty-eight months between December 2018 and January 2022, multiparameter hydrographic measurements were taken at thirty-one sites within Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. These records consisted of water column measurements (down to 100 m) of temperature, conductivity, turbidity, and pH as well as the dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic matter, chlorophyll A and phycoerythrin contents. The sites were chosen due to their variable distances from glacial fronts and open ocean waters. Fifteen sites were localized within smaller glacial coves, with waters highly impacted by glacial infusions; seven sites were located in the open waters of the main body of Admiralty Bay; and nine were located in intermediate conditions of the Ezcurra Inlet. The final dataset consists of measurements carried out over 142 separate days, with an average 3.74 measurements per month. However, data were not collected regularly throughout the year and were collected less frequently during winter, though data were gathered for all but two winter months. On average, each site was investigated 98.2 times. Due to calibration issues, absolute values of optically measured properties occasionally show impossible negative values, but the relative distributions of these values remain valid. Variabilities in the measured properties each season and throughout the whole duration of the project reveal regular oscillations as well as possible long-term trends.