Discrete inorganic nutrient samples collected from the Celtic Sea and English Channel during RRS James Cook cruise JC105 in June 2014.

(1) Plymouth Marine Laboratory

This data set contains discrete inorganic nutrient measurements collected from CTD bottles and the non-toxic, pumped-seawater supply. The measurements include nitrite, nitrate+nitrite, ammonium, silicate and phosphate. The data were collected from the vicinity of the Celtic Sea and English Channel during RRS James Cook cruise 105 (JC105) in the summer (June) of 2014. Discrete samples were collected from 21 CTD casts carried out with a stainless steel CTD package that was fitted with a Sea-Bird SBE 911plus underwater CTD and deck unit, a Sea-Bird SBE 32, twenty-four way carousel and 24 x 10 L Ocean Test Equipment (OTE) niskin bottles. Samples were withdrawn from 2 to 6 depths, spanning the entire water column. Six samples were also collected from the non-toxic, pumped-seawater supply (intake approximately 5.5 m below sea level). The samples were collected using GO-SHIP protocols and inorganic nutrients were analysed using a 5 channel (nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, silicate and ammonium) Bran and Luebbe AAIII segmented flow, colorimetric autoanalyser. The samples were collected as part of the Shelf Sea Biogeochemistry programme (SSB), a £10.5 million, seven year (2011 – 2018) research programme, jointly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The aim of the research was to reduce the uncertainty in understanding of nutrient and carbon cycling within the shelf seas, and of their role in global biogeochemical cycles. The programme involved 15 different UK research institutions, along with some third party organisations. Together, they performed an extensive fieldwork campaign throughout 2014 and 2015, which was based on core SSB process cruises and sampling from third party vessels of opportunity in the Celtic Sea, Irish Sea, English Channel and Outer Hebrides. JC105 was the 2nd core cruise in the programme. The inorganic nutrient sample data set from JC105 was collected by Malcolm Woodward from the Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML). The data are held at the British Oceanographic Data Centre.