Data on the heterotrophic bacterioplankton and concurrent environmental characteristics in the outer shelf and slope area of the Laptev Sea (Arctic Ocean).

In regions close to the continental shelf edge, the transfer of particulate organic carbon (POC) within the food web and with downward fluxes contributes to the long-term storage of carbon in deep basins. The degradation of POC by heterotrophic prokaryotes is one of the key indices of biological productivity and ecosystem functioning. Here we present data on the spatial and vertical distribution of the total bacterial abundance, fraction of high DNA-content and particle-associated bacteria, and POC concentration.