Pigment data from the RV Southern Surveyor expeditions: SS2012_v04, SS2012_T06 and SS2012_v04 We analysed patterns in phytoplankton community composition as indicated by the pigment composition. For pigment analysis 4L water was filtered through 25mm Whatman GF/F filters using gentle vacuum filtration with a pressure drop of less than 10 kPa. Samples were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80°C prior to analysis on land. Pigments were analysed using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) according to the CSIRO method see Hooker et al. (2012) at the CSIRO laboratories in Hobart. Biochemical data are stored at the Marlin CSIRO database: http://www.marlin.csiro.au/geonetwork/srv/eng/search#fast=index&from=1&to=10&hitsperpage=10