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- Title
Sea-ice associated carbon flux in Arctic spring.
- Authors
Ehrlich, J.; Bluhm, B. A.; Peeken, I.; Massicotte, P.; Schaafsma, F. L.; Castellani, G.; Brandt, A.; Flores, H.
- Abstract
The Svalbard region faces drastic environmental changes, including sea-ice loss and "Atlantification" of Arctic waters, caused primarily by climate warming. These changes result in shifts in the sea-iceassociated (sympagic) community structure, with consequences for the sympagic food web and carbon cycling. To evaluate the role of sympagic biota as a source, sink, and transmitter of carbon, we sampled pack ice and under-ice water (0-2 m) north of Svalbard in spring 2015 by sea-ice coring and under-ice trawling. We estimated biomass and primary production of ice algae and under-ice phytoplankton as well as biomass, carbon demand, and secondary production of sea-ice meiofauna (>10 mm) and under-ice fauna (>300 mm). Sea-ice meiofauna biomass (0.1-2.8 mg C m-2) was dominated by harpacticoid copepods (92%), nauplii (4%), and Ciliophora (3%). Under-ice fauna biomass (3.2-62.7 mg C m-2) was dominated by Calanus copepods (54%). Appendicularia contributed 23% through their high abundance at one station. Herbivorous sympagic fauna dominated the carbon demand across the study area, estimated at 2 mg C m-2 day-1 for ice algae and 4 mg C m-2 day-1 for phytoplankton. This demand was covered by the mean primary production of ice algae (11 mg C m-2 day-1) and phytoplankton (30 mg C m-2 day-1). Hence, potentially 35 mg C m-2 day-1 of algal material could sink from the sympagic realm to deeper layers. The demand of carnivorous under-ice fauna (0.3 mg C m-2 day-1) was barely covered by sympagic secondary production (0.3 mg C m-2 day-1). Our study emphasizes the importance of under-ice fauna for the carbon flux from sea ice to pelagic and benthic habitats and provides a baseline for future comparisons in the context of climate change.
- Subjects
SVALBARD (Norway); SEA ice; CLIMATE change; CARBON cycle; FOOD chains
- Publication
Elementa: Science of the Anthropocene, 2021, Vol 9, p1
- ISSN
2325-1026
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1525/elementa.2020.00169