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This dataset consists of munition compound data from the analysis of water samples collected along a cruise track that went through German and Danish waters of the western Baltic Sea in October 2023 during ALKOR cruise AL603. The cruise track started and ended in the Bay of Kiel, via the Little Belt, Bay of Aarhus, Great Belt and Bay of Mecklenburg. Water column samples were collected from 99 stations. Surface and deep-water samples were collected using a rosette of Niskin bottles. A CTD sensor package was also mounted on the the Niskin rosette frame. Samples (1L) were extracted onboard onto solid phase extraction (SPE) columns. Munition compounds were eluted from the SPE columns using acetonitrile, concentrated and reconstituted in 50% methanol/water. The samples were analyzed by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.
This dataset documents field investigations on the biological effects of legacy World War I munitions on marine organisms, with a focus on shipwreck sites in the North Sea. Three historically well-documented wrecks were selected: the light cruiser SMS Mainz, the minelayer SMS Ariadne, and the submarine UC30. These wrecks were chosen based on detailed archival information regarding their sinking circumstances and cargo, their unambiguous identification, and their accessibility for scientific diving operations. As a munition-free control, a reference area outside known wreck fields was sampled (Naturschutzgebiet Borkum Riffgrund). The flatfish Limanda limanda (dab) was selected as a sentinel species. Sampling was conducted during several cruises with the research vessel Heincke (HE 573, April 2021 – SMS Mainz; HE 596, April 2022 – UC30 and SMS Ariadne; HE 607, September 2022 – UC30; HE 613, February 2023 – SMS Ariadne) and with the Uthörn (May 2022 – reference site). Fish were caught using bottom trawls deployed as close as possible to the wreck structures. Captured fish were transferred to seawater tanks prior to dissection. Each specimen was measured, weighed, and assessed biometrically to calculate condition factors as indicators of general health. Subsequent processing included macroscopic examination of livers for pathological alterations (e.g., fatty liver, nodules, bile stasis, tumor formation). Liver tissue was partitioned for histological analysis (H&E staining after methacrylate embedding), histochemical biomarker assays (lipofuscin accumulation, neutral lipids, lysosomal membrane stability), and biochemical measurements. Enzyme activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) were quantified in liver and muscle homogenates using spectrophotometric assays and normalized to protein content. Both otoliths were extracted for age determination, dried, embedded in resin, and microscopically examined under variable light intensities to identify annual growth rings. The resulting dataset integrates biometric data, liver pathology, histological and histochemical biomarkers, enzyme activity profiles, and otolith-based age determinations from dabs collected at munition-affected shipwrecks and a reference site. It provides a standardized and comprehensive resource to evaluate the potential toxicological effects of World War I munitions on marine fish populations in the North Sea.
We present munition compound data from the analysis of water column samples collected from the entire length of the German waters of Baltic Sea in March 2023 during ALKOR cruise AL590. Water column samples were collected from 93 sampling stations along a transect stretching from Flensburg Fjord to Usedom. Surface and deep-water samples were collected using a rosette of Niskin bottles. A CTD profile was also attached to the Niskin rosette frame. Samples (1L) were extracted onboard onto solid phase extraction (SPE) columns. Munition compounds were eluted from the SPE columns using acetonitrile, concentrated and reconstituted in 50% methanol/water. The samples were analyzed by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.
Water column samples were collected from 62 sampling stations along a transect stretching from Flensburg Fjord to the Bay of Mecklenburg in October 2022 during ALKOR cruise AL583. Here, we present metadata and munition compound data for the samples. Surface, mid-depth and deep-water samples were collected using a rosette of Niskin bottles. A CTD sensor package was also mounted on the Niskin rosette frame. Samples (1L) were extracted onboard onto solid phase extraction (SPE) columns. Munition compounds were eluted from the SPE columns using acetonitrile, concentrated and reconstituted in 50% methanol/water. The samples were analyzed by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry.
Cruise AL567 (R/V Alkor) sampled the water column in German territorial waters of the southwest Baltic Sea during 18-30 October 2021. This dataset contains concentrations of dissolved munition compounds from 88 Niskin bottle rosette casts between sea surface and seafloor. Samples were collected at the sea surface (1-2 m depth), approximately 2 m above the seafloor, and immediately below the pycnocline. Dissolved explosives in the samples were measured following Gledhill et al. (2019). Briefly, discrete samples (1 L) were preconcentrated onboard using solid-phase extraction. Target compounds were eluted with acetonitrile, further concentrated by evaporation, and measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and high resolution heated electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.
Cruise AL548 (R/V Alkor) sampled the water column in German territorial waters of the southwest Baltic Sea during 04-16 November 2020. This dataset contains concentrations of dissolved munition compounds from 73 Niskin bottle rosette casts between sea surface and seafloor. Vertical sampling resolution varied among stations, with a maximum of 5 sampling depths. Dissolved explosives in the samples were measured following Gledhill et al. (2019). Briefly, discrete samples (1 L) were preconcentrated onboard using solid-phase extraction. Target compounds were eluted with acetonitrile, further concentrated by evaporation, and measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and high resolution heated electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.
Cruise POS530 (R/V Poseidon) sampled the water column throughout German territorial waters of the southwest Baltic Sea during 01-21 October 2018. The current dataset contains concentrations of dissolved munition compounds from Niskin bottle rosette casts between sea surface and seafloor. Vertical sampling resolution varied among stations, with a maximum of 9 sampling depths. Dissolved explosives in the samples were measured following Gledhill et al. (2019). Briefly, discrete samples (1 L) were preconcentrated onboard using solid-phase extraction. Target compounds were eluted with acetonitrile, further concentrated by evaporation, and measured by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and high resolution heated electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.
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