This dataset comprises the annual count of chinstrap penguins arriving to Signy Island each breeding season, from 1996 to 2020. Penguins arriving at the beach in mid to late November (the austral summer) were counted. This monitoring contributes to the CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP) and is part of the annual seabird Long Term Monitoring carried out by the British Antarctic Survey at Signy Island. Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

This dataset pertains to chinstrap penguin breeding success at selected colonies on Signy island from 1978 to 2020. It comprises annual ground counts of occupied and incubating nests, eggs (proxy for breeding pairs), chicks hatched, and chicks expected to fledge. The GPS locations for surveyed sites are also included. From the 1996-1997 season onwards, this dataset conforms to CCAMLR data collection standards and contributes to the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP). Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

This dataset pertains to Adelie penguin breeding success at selected colonies on Signy island from 1978 to 2020. It comprises annual ground counts of occupied and incubating nests, eggs (proxy for breeding pairs), chicks hatched, and chicks expected to fledge. The GPS locations for surveyed sites are also included. From the 1996-1997 season onwards, this dataset conforms to CCAMLR data collection standards and contributes to the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP). Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

This dataset pertains to gentoo penguin breeding success at selected colonies on Signy island from 1978 to 2020. It comprises annual ground counts of occupied and incubating nests, eggs (proxy for breeding pairs), chicks hatched, and chicks expected to fledge. The GPS locations for surveyed sites are also included. From the 1996-1997 season onwards, this dataset conforms to CCAMLR data collection standards and contributes to the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program (CEMP). Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

Beached marine debris has been monitored on Signy Island since 1991. Data collection was carried out during summer months across three sites on the island: Foca Cove, Cummings Cove and Starfish Cove. This dataset summarises the amount of beached debris from monthly surveys by mass and type, with additional descriptions available. This monitoring contributes to the CCAMLR (Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources) Marine debris program and is part of the long-term monitoring carried out by the British Antarctic Survey at Signy Island. Ecosystems component of BAS Polar Science for Planet Earth Programme, funded by NERC.

100 nests in designated Adelie and Chinstrap penguin colonies are marked and then regularly monitored. Data are collected on when eggs are laid in each nest, when they hatch, when eggs or chicks are lost, and when chicks become unguarded. Data exist from 1996 onwards. For Adelie penguins, 100 nests in a colony designated A41 was monitored between 1996 and 2002, from 2003 onwards 100 nests in a colony designated A39 were monitored. For Chinstrap penguins, 100 nests in a colony designated A69 were monitored between 1996 and 2015, from 2016 onwards, 100 nests in a colony designated C66 were monitored. No data were collected in the 1997-98, 1999-2000 and 2010-2011 seasons. To calculate the annual hatching date a binomial model was fitted using the proportion of nests containing one or more chicks as the response variable and the date in days after 1 Oct as the explanatory variable. This model was fitted for each species and year separately. The dose.p function in the MASS package in R was used to derive the day when 50% of nests contained one or more chicks to produce the mean hatching date for each species-year combination. Mean laying dates were back-calculated from the mean hatching dates by subtracting the average incubation periods for each species (35 days for Adelies and 36.4 days for chinstraps, which are relatively constant between years). This has been calculated for data from 1996 to 2016.

Images of bird colonies on Signy Island, South Orkney were collected by low-altitude aerial photography from multirotor Un-crewed Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). Three species were included in this study; gentoo (Pygoscelis antarctica) and chinstrap (Pygoscelis papua) penguin and South Georgia shag (Leucocarbo atriceps georgianus). Data were collected in the 2016/17 and 2017/18 field seasons. Mosaic images were created for colonies surveyed with multiple frames by stitching together individual images.

Between December 2012 and March 2013, snow measurements were conducted in 3 snow pits at both Gourlay Snowfield and Tuva Glacier, Signy Island, to determine the bacterial diversity within the snowpacks. Sites are denoted ''TX'' and ''GY'', where ''X'' and ''Y'' are numbers representing one of nine snowpits in a grid at Tuva and Gourlay respectively. Snow samples of the ''top'' layer were taken from the surface snow layer at a depth of 0 to 20 cm from the surface; snow samples of the middle ''mid'' layer were taken from 20 cm to the bottom of the snow pit; and samples from the ''ice'' layer were taken from the superimposed ice at the bottom of the snow pit. Snow and ice samples were collected from these pits and transported frozen to the UK for further analysis. Funding was provided by the NERC grants NE/H014446/1 and NE/H014802/1.

The colony size and breeding success of Southern giant petrels (Macronectus giganteus) on Signy Island has been monitored annually since 1996. The data presented here includes the number of breeding pairs (occupied nests) and the number of chicks present in their nests prior to fledging. Breeding pairs and chicks are monitored by direct counts at nine sites on the west coast of the island. The nest surveys are undertaken from December to January, with chick counts completed in mid-March. This work was funded by Natural Environment Research Council (UK) core funding to the British Antarctic Survey.

Between December 2012 and March 2013, snow measurements were conducted in 3 snow pits at both Gourlay Snowfield and Tuva Glacier, Signy Island, to determine the primary and bacterial production within the snowpacks. Sites are denoted ''TX'' and ''GY'', where ''X'' and ''Y'' are numbers representing one of nine snowpits in a grid at Tuva and Gourlay respectively. Snow samples of the ''top'' layer were taken from the surface snow layer at a depth of 0 to 20 cm from the surface; snow samples of the middle ''mid'' layer were taken from 20 cm to the bottom of the snow pit; and samples from the ''ice'' layer were taken from the superimposed ice at the bottom of the snow pit. Snow samples of the top and middle layer only were used for primary production, whilst bacterial production also included the lower ice layer. Samples collected from the pits were processed at Signy Station laboratory before being transported to the UK for further analysis. Funding was provided by the NERC grants NE/H014446/1 and NE/H014802/1.