Samples were collected at 5 sites ranging in water depth from 100 to 595 m at least once in each season (ice-covered and open-water condition) between March and August 2008 onboard the icebreaker CCGS Amundsen. At each sampling station, an USNEL box corer was deployed for collecting seafloor sediments. From each box core, 5 sub-cores of 11 cm diameter and 20 cm sediment depth were taken for assessing benthic carbon remineralisation in microcosm incubations and 3 additional subcores of 5 cm diameter and 10 cm length were taken for determining sediment properties. Incubations of sediment microcosms were run in a dark, temperature-controlled room (2-4 °C) for 24-48 h. Each sediment microcosm was sieved through a 0.5 mm mesh under running sea water at the end of incubations to determine biomass of macrofaunal communities. The sieve residue was preserved in a buffered 4% seawater-formaldehyde solution and analysed for species composition and abundance under a stereomicroscope in the lab.

The CTD data was obtained during the 2010 ArcticNet scientific cruise #1003b. The data were collected from October 8 to 17, 2010, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 27 casts associated to 18 stations, located in the Northwest Passage. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), CDOM (Wetlabs FL(RT)D), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissometer), light intensity (PAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2300) and surface light intensity (sPAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2200). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during the 2007-2008 scientific cruise #0707 within the framework of the Circumpolar Flaw Lead Study (CFL). This program included a year round sampling expedition to study the air-sea interactions occurring in the ice-free sections of the southern Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf. The data were collected from November 10 to December 18, 2007, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 105 casts, associated to 16 oceanographic stations, in the Beaufort Sea area. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), pH (Sea-Bird SBE-18-I), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissometer), light intensity (PAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2300) and surface light intensity (sPAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2200). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during leg #0603 of the 2006 ArcticNet scientific cruise. The data were collected from September 30 to October 19, 2006, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 70 CTD casts, associated to 33 oceanographic stations, in the Beaufort Sea area. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), pH (Sea-Bird SBE-18-I), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissiometer), light intensity (PAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2300) and surface light intensity (sPAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2200). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during leg #0602 of the 2006 ArcticNet scientific cruise. The data were collected from August 22 to 31, 2006, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 9 casts, associated to 6 oceanographic stations, in the Labrador Sea research area. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), pH (Sea-Bird SBE-18-I), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissiometer), light intensity (PAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2300) and surface light intensity (sPAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2200). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during the 2013 ArcticNet scientific cruise #1304. The data were collected from July 27 to September 2, 2013, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 115 casts associated to 59 stations, located in Baffin Bay and Northwest Passage. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), CDOM (Wetlabs FL(RT)D), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissometer), light intensity (PAR; LI-COR Biosciences) and surface light intensity (sPAR; LI-COR Biosciences). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during leg #0602 of the 2006 ArcticNet scientific cruise. The data were collected from September 4 to 20, 2006, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 72 casts, associated to 39 oceanographic stations, in the Northern Baffin Bay research area. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), pH (Sea-Bird SBE-18-I), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissiometer), light intensity (PAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2300) and surface light intensity (sPAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2200). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during the 2011 ArcticNet scientific cruise #1103a. The data were collected from September 26 to October 3, 2011, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 35 casts associated to 27 stations, located in Baffin Bay and the Northwest Passage. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), CDOM (Wetlabs FL(RT)D), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissometer), light intensity (PAR; LI-COR Biosciences) and surface light intensity (sPAR; LI-COR Biosciences). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during the 2009 ArcticNet scientific cruise #0904b. The data were collected from November 7 to 13, 2009, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 24 casts associated to 22 stations, located in the Canadian Arctic. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), CDOM (Haardt backscat fluorometer FL(RT)D), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissometer), currents (RDI LADCP), turbidity (UVP 5), light intensity (PAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2300) and surface light intensity (sPAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2200). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The CTD data was obtained during the 2010 ArcticNet scientific cruise #1002a in collaboration with the industrial partner BP. The data were collected from August 15 to 25, 2010, aboard the CCGS Amundsen. There were 33 casts associated to 26 stations, located in the Beaufort Sea. The following parameters were measured: temperature, conductivity and pressure (with a Sea-Bird SBE-9plus), dissolved oxygen (Sea-Bird SBE-43), fluorescence (Seapoint chlorophyll fluorometer), CDOM (Wetlabs FL(RT)D), nitrate concentration (Satlantic MBARI-ISUS 5T), transmittance (Wetlabs C-Star transmissometer), light intensity (PAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2300) and surface light intensity (sPAR; Biospherical Instruments QCP2200). Quality control procedures were applied to the data. Data are available on the Polar Data Catalogue and at the Marine Environmental Data Service (MEDS) of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.