Vertical fine structure of the biomass and composition of algal communities in Arctic pack ice |
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Authors: | R Gradinger |
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Institution: | (1) Institute for Polar Ecology Kiel, Christian Albrechts University Kiel, Wischhofstr. 1-3, Geb. 12, D-24148 Kiel, Germany e-mail: rgradinger@ipoe.uni-kiel.de, DE |
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Abstract: | The biomass and composition of algal communities in sea ice were studied during two summer expeditions to the central Arctic
Ocean and the Greenland Sea. Based on algal pigment determination and cell counts, high biomass accumulations were found at
the surface, in the interior and in the bottom layer of the ice floes. Pennate diatoms dominated in the bottom layer, while
phototrophic flagellates and cysts of unknown origin were the most abundant taxa in the upper parts. The lowermost 20 to 40 cm
contained between 4 and 62% of the entire algal biomass. Consequently, ice biological studies, which deal only with the bottom
few centimetres of the ice floes, will underestimate algal biomass and production by factors of up to 25. Differences between
the results of this study and published data from coastal locations point towards different biological regimes in Arctic sea
ice. The algal biomass in coastal ice is about two orders of magnitude higher and composed mainly of diatoms, probably supported
by nutrient influx from the water column. In the pack ice of the central Arctic, nutrient supply is probably reduced, and
flagellates contribute substantially to total algal biomass. However, methodological problems might partially be responsible
for the observed differences.
Received: 12 June 1998 / Accepted: 11 December 1998 |
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