The return of Pacific waters to the upper layers of the central Arctic Ocean

Temperature, salinity, and chemical measurements, including the nutrients silicic acid (Si), nitrate (NO₃), nitrite (NO₂), ammonium (NH₄), and phosphate (PO₄ or P), the oxygen isotopic composition of seawater (δ¹⁸O), and barium (Ba) concentrations were obtained from the central Arctic Ocean along transects radiating from the North Pole in early spring, 2000–2006. Stations that were reoccupied over this time period were grouped into five regions: from Ellesmere Island, (1) north along 70°W and (2) northwest along 90°W; near the North Pole, (3) on the Amundsen Basin flank and (4) directly over the Lomonosov Ridge; (5) through the Makarov Basin along 170–180°W. These regions had been shown by others to have undergone marked changes in water-mass assemblies in the early 1990s, but our time series tracer hydrographic data indicate a partial return of Pacific origin water within the mixed layer and the upper halocline layers beginning in 2003–2004. Back-trajectories derived from satellite-tracked ice buoys for these stations indicate that the upper levels of Pacific water in the central Arctic in 2004–2006 transited westward from the Bering Strait along the Siberian continental slope into the East Siberian Sea before entering the Transpolar Drift Stream (TPD). By 2004, the TPD shifted back from an alignment over the Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge toward the Lomonosov Ridge, as was characteristic prior to the early 1990s. At most stations occupied in 2006, a decrease in the Pacific influence was observed, both in the mixed layer and in the upper halocline, which suggests the Canadian branch of the TPD was shifting back toward North America. Clearly the system is more variable than has been previously appreciated.     

Ventilation time and anthropogenic CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> in the Bering Sea and the Arctic Ocean based on carbon tetrachloride measurements

The Arctic Ocean is connected to the Pacific by the Bering Sea and the Bering Strait. During the 4th Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition, measurements of carbon tetrachloride (CCl₄) were used to estimate ventilation time-scales and anthropogenic CO₂ (C_ant) concentrations in the Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea based on the transit time distribution method. The profile distribution showed that there was a high-CCl₄ tongue entering through the Canada Basin in the intermediate layer (27.6?<?σ_θ?<?28), at latitudes between 78 and 85°N, which may be related to the inflow of Atlantic water. Between stations B09 and B10, upwelling appeared to occur near the continental slope in the Bering Sea. The ventilation time scales (mean ages) for deep and bottom water in the Arctic Ocean (~?230–380 years) were shorter than in the Bering Sea (~?430–970 years). Higher mean ages show that ventilation processes are weaker in the intermediate water of the Bering Sea than in the Arctic Ocean. The mean C_ant column inventory in the upper 4000 m was higher (60–82 mol m^?2) in the Arctic Ocean compared to the Bering Sea (35–48 mol m^?2).     

基于最优插值方法的微波-红外辐射计数据融合全球海面温度网格产品

A new 0.1° gridded daily sea surface temperature(SST) data product is presented covering the years 2003–2015. It is created by fusing satellite SST data retrievals from four microwave(Wind Sat, AMSR-E, ASMR2 and HY-2 A RM)and two infrared(MODIS and AVHRR) radiometers(RMs) based on the optimum interpolation(OI) method. The effect of including HY-2 A RM SST data in the fusion product is studied, and the accuracy of the new SST product is determined by various comparisons with moored and drifting buoy measurements. An evaluation using global tropical moored buoy measurements shows that the root mean square error(RMSE) of the new gridded SST product is generally less than 0.5℃. A comparison with US National Data Buoy Center meteorological and oceanographic moored buoy observations shows that the RMSE of the new product is generally less than 0.8℃. A comparison with measurements from drifting buoys shows an RMSE of 0.52–0.69℃. Furthermore, the consistency of the new gridded SST dataset and the Remote Sensing Systems microwave-infrared SST dataset is evaluated, and the result shows that no significant inconsistency exists between these two products.     

太平洋夏季水对加拿大海盆海冰的影响

近年来,北极海冰发生了大面积减少,减少的原因仍存在着争议。基于2003-2011年的水文和遥感卫星数据,对北冰洋加拿大海盆的太平洋水和海冰进行研究。通过对比2006年和2007年太平洋水位温与海冰密集度的空间分布,发现太平洋水暖异常于2007年1-3月进入加拿大海盆的中部,并可能导致了2007年夏季海冰大面积的融化。2003-2011年,在加拿大海盆的中部,太平洋水位温与海冰密集度存在着时间上的负相关。选取2007年8月,发现两者在空间上也存在着负相关。这很可能说明太平洋水暖异常在流动的过程中,向上输送了热量,在一定程度上,融化了海冰,从而触发海冰-反照率正反馈,导致海冰的减少。因此,通过白令海峡进入北冰洋的太平洋夏季水,对北极海冰面积的减少有着重要影响。     

Mesozooplankton in the Arctic Ocean in summer

The biomass, species and chemical composition of the mesozooplankton and their impact on lower food levels were estimated along a transect across the Arctic Ocean. Mesozooplankton biomass in the upper 200 m of the water column was significantly higher (19–42 mg DW m^-3) than has previously been reported for the Arctic Ocean, and it reached a maximum at ca. 87°N in the Amundsen Basin. The lowest values were recorded in the Chukchi Sea and Nansen Basin, where ice cover was lower (50–80%) than in the central Arctic Ocean. In the deeper strata (200–500 m) of the Canadian and Eurasian Basins, the biomass was always much lower (4.35–16.44 mg DW m^-3). The C/N (g/g) ratio for the mesozooplankton population was high (6.5–8.5) but within the documented range. These high values (when compared to 4.5 at lower latitudes) may be explained by the high lipid content. Mesozooplankton accounted for approximately 40% of the total particulate organic carbon in the upper 100 m of the water column. Mesozooplankton species composition was homogeneous along the transect, consisting mainly of copepods (70–90% of the total number). It was dominated by four large copepod species (Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis, C. finmarchicus and Metridia longa), which together accounted for more than 80% of the total biomass. According to measurements of gut pigment and gut turnover rates, the mesozooplankton on average ingested between 6 and 30% of their body carbon per day as phytoplankton. Microzooplankton may have provided an additional source of energy for the mesozooplankton community. These data emphasize the importance of mesozooplankton in the arctic food web and reinforce the idea that the Arctic Ocean should no longer be considered to be a “biological desert”.     

Nitrogen and carbon isotopic composition of marine and terrestrial organic matter in Arctic Ocean sediments:: implications for nutrient utilization and organic matter composition

Relationships between organic carbon, total nitrogen and organic nitrogen concentrations and variations in δ¹³C_org and δ¹⁵N_org are examined in surface sediments from the eastern central Arctic Ocean and the Yermak Plateau. Removing the organic matter from samples with KOBr/KOH and determining residual as well as total N shows that there is a significant amount of bound inorganic N in the samples, which causes TOC/N_total ratios to be low (4–10 depending on the organic content). TOC/N_org ratios are significantly higher (8–16). This correction of organic TOC/N ratios for the presence of soil-derived bound ammonium is especially important in samples with high illite concentrations, the clay mineral mainly responsible for ammonium adsorption. The isotopic composition of the organic N fraction was estimated by determining the isotopic composition of the total and inorganic nitrogen fractions and assuming mass-balance. A strong correlation between δ¹⁵N_org values of the sediments and the nitrate concentration of surface waters indicates different relative nitrate utilization rates of the phytoplankton in various regions of the Arctic Ocean. On the Yermak Plateau, low δ¹⁵N_org values correspond to high nitrate concentrations, whereas in the central Arctic Ocean high δ¹⁵N_org values are found beneath low nitrate waters. Sediment δ¹³C_org values are close to −23.0‰ in the Yermak Plateau region and approximately −21.4‰ in the central Arctic Ocean. Particulate organic matter collected from meltwater ponds and ice-cores are relatively enriched in ¹³C (δ¹³C_org=−15.3 to −20.6‰) most likely due to low CO₂(aq) concentrations in these environments. A maximum terrestrial contribution of 30% of the organic matter to sediments in the central Arctic Ocean is derived, based on the carbon isotope data and various assumptions about the isotopic composition of the potential endmembers.     

Absolute sea level variability of Arctic Ocean in 1993–2018 from satellite altimetry and tide gauge observations

Arctic absolute sea level variations were analyzed based on multi-mission satellite altimetry data and tide gauge observations for the period of 1993–2018. The range of linear absolute sea level trends were found ?2.00 mm/a to 6.88 mm/a excluding the central Arctic, positive trend rates were predominantly located in shallow water and coastal areas, and negative rates were located in high-latitude areas and Baffin Bay. Satellite-derived results show that the average secular absolute sea level trend was (2.53±0.42) mm/a in the Arctic region. Large differences were presented between satellite-derived and tide gauge results, which are mainly due to low satellite data coverage, uncertainties in tidal height processing and vertical land movement (VLM). The VLM rates at 11 global navigation satellite system stations around the Arctic Ocean were analyzed, among which 6 stations were tide gauge co-located, the results indicate that the absolute sea level trends after VLM corrected were of the same magnitude as satellite altimetry results. Accurately calculating VLM is the primary uncertainty in interpreting tide gauge measurements such that differences between tide gauge and satellite altimetry data are attributable generally to VLM.     

2003年夏季西北冰洋浮游动物群落结构和地理分布研究

根据西北冰洋43个调查站位的浮游动物种类组成和数量资料,分析了浮游动物的群落结构和地理分布特征,探讨了浮游动物群落与环境因子的关系.结果表明,在调查区域存在三种不同的浮游动物群落类型:楚科奇海台和加拿大海盆地区的高纬度深海群落;楚科奇海中部的陆架群落;阿拉斯加沿岸和楚科奇海北部的沿岸过渡群落.深海群落浮游动物数量较少,...     

Origin of freshwater and polynya water in the Arctic Ocean halocline in summer 2007

Extremely low summer sea-ice coverage in the Arctic Ocean in 2007 allowed extensive sampling and a wide quasi-synoptic hydrographic and δ¹⁸O dataset could be collected in the Eurasian Basin and the Makarov Basin up to the Alpha Ridge and the East Siberian continental margin. With the aim of determining the origin of freshwater in the halocline, fractions of river water and sea-ice meltwater in the upper 150 m were quantified by a combination of salinity and δ¹⁸O in the Eurasian Basin. Two methods, applying the preformed phosphate concentration (PO^*) and the nitrate-to-phosphate ratio (N/P), were compared to further differentiate the marine fraction into Atlantic and Pacific-derived contributions. While PO^*-based assessments systematically underestimate the contribution of Pacific-derived waters, N/P-based calculations overestimate Pacific-derived waters within the Transpolar Drift due to denitrification in bottom sediments at the Laptev Sea continental margin.Within the Eurasian Basin a west to east oriented front between net melting and production of sea-ice is observed. Outside the Atlantic regime dominated by net sea-ice melting, a pronounced layer influenced by brines released during sea-ice formation is present at about 30–50 m water depth with a maximum over the Lomonosov Ridge. The geographically distinct definition of this maximum demonstrates the rapid release and transport of signals from the shelf regions in discrete pulses within the Transpolar Drift.The ratio of sea-ice derived brine influence and river water is roughly constant within each layer of the Arctic Ocean halocline. The correlation between brine influence and river water reveals two clusters that can be assigned to the two main mechanisms of sea-ice formation within the Arctic Ocean. Over the open ocean or in polynyas at the continental slope where relatively small amounts of river water are found, sea-ice formation results in a linear correlation between brine influence and river water at salinities of about 32–34. In coastal polynyas in the shallow regions of the Laptev Sea and southern Kara Sea, sea-ice formation transports river water into the shelf’s bottom layer due to the close proximity to the river mouths. This process therefore results in waters that form a second linear correlation between brine influence and river water at salinities of about 30–32. Our study indicates which layers of the Arctic Ocean halocline are primarily influenced by sea-ice formation in coastal polynyas and which layers are primarily influenced by sea-ice formation over the open ocean. Accordingly we use the ratio of sea-ice derived brine influence and river water to link the maximum in brine influence within the Transpolar Drift with a pulse of shelf waters from the Laptev Sea that was likely released in summer 2005.     

Analysis of the influence that climatic variability has on the formation of the total-ozone-content field at extratropical latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere

Having applied the method of discriminant analysis to the TOMS data of satellite sounding of the total ozone content (TOC) in the March months of 1979–2008, the authors could make a new estimate of the TOC field variability in the Northern Hemisphere and interlongitudinal regularities of its changes under the action of climatic variability. The effects of temperature variations in the polar stratosphere, El Niño, and quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) have proven comparable and reach 80 DU in some regions. The influence of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) reaches 40 DU. The regions of TOC variations and their location and dimensions change depending on the phases of QBO, AO, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Three regions of increased TOC—over Europe, Eastern Siberia, and the Pacific Ocean—are formed in years with a warm stratosphere. A compensating TOC decrease takes place in the tropics and over Greenland. In the years of El Niño and the easterly QBO phase, the TOC increases over Europe and drops over the central Pacific, as well as to the south from 45° N. The AO controls the ozone growth over most of Eurasia at temperate latitudes and its weak drop over the Atlantic. It was impossible to obtain such quantitative estimates with the use of methods based on an independent analysis of the TOC series at individual points of the coordinate grid. Testing with the Monte Carlo method confirmed that the results obtained are significant with a probability of 95–99.9%.     

Sensor-based profiles of the NO parameter in the central Arctic and southern Canada Basin: New insights regarding the cold halocline

Here we report the first optical, sensor-based profiles of nitrate from the central Makarov and Amundsen and southern Canada Basins of the Arctic Ocean. These profiles were obtained as part of the International Polar Year program during spring 2007 and 2008 field seasons of the North Pole Environmental Observatory (NPEO) and Beaufort Gyre Exploration Program (BGEP). These nitrate data were combined with in-situ, sensor-based profiles of dissolved oxygen to derive the first high-resolution vertical NO profiles to be reported for the Arctic Ocean. The focus of this paper is on the halocline layer that insulates sea ice from Atlantic water heat and is an important source of nutrients for marine ecosystems within and downstream of the Arctic. Previous reports based on bottle data have identified a distinct lower halocline layer associated with an NO minimum at about S=34.2 that was proposed to be formed initially in the Nansen Basin and then advected downstream. Greater resolution afforded by our data reveal an even more pronounced NO minimum within the upper, cold halocline of the Makarov Basin. Thus a distinct lower salinity source ventilated the Makarov and not the Amundsen Basin. In addition, a larger Eurasian River water influence overlies this halocline source in the Makarov. Observations in the southern Canada Basin corroborate previous studies confirming multiple lower halocline influences including diapycnal mixing between Pacific winter waters and Atlantic-derived lower halocline waters, ventilation via brine formation induced in persistent openings in the ice, and cold, O₂-rich lower halocline waters originating in the Eurasian Basin. These findings demonstrate that continuous sensing of chemical properties promises to significantly advance understanding of the maintenance and circulation of the halocline.     

Variation of freshwater components in the Canada Basin during 1967–2010

As a conservative tracer, oxygen isotopes in seawater are widely used for water mass analysis, along with temperature and salinity. In this study, seawater oxygen-18 datasets in the Canada Basin during 1967–2010 were obtained from the four cruises of the Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(1999, 2003, 2008, and 2010) and the NASA database. Fractions of sea ice meltwater and river runoff were determined from the salinity-18O system. Our results showed that the river runoff decreased from the south to the north in the Canada Basin. The enhanced amount of river runoff observed in the southern Canada Basin may originate from the Mackenzie River, transported by the Beaufort Gyre. The river runoff component showed maximum fractions during 1967–1969, 1978–1979, 1984–1985, 1993–1994, and 2008–2010, indicating the refresh time of the river runoff was 5.0–16.0 a in the Canada Basin. The temporal variation of the river runoff was related to the change of the Arctic Oscillation(AO) index, suggesting the freshwater stored in the Canada Basin was affected by surface sea ice drift and water mass movement driven by atmospheric circulation.     

Determination of the total ozone content from data of satellite IR Fourier-spectrometer

Examples of retrieval of the total ozone content (TOC) from the spectra of outgoing thermal radiation measured by the IRFS-2 device on the Meteor-M no. 2 meteorological satellite are presented. The technique, developed by the authors and based on an artificial neural network (ANN) approach with the use of TOC measurements by the satellite OMI device, is applied. A comparison of the results with the data of independent TOC measurements has shown their agreement within 2–5% for global ensemble and within 3–6% for separate latitudes and seasons. The errors estimated for IRFS-2 TOC measurements are close to the errors in measurements by a similar IASI device from the MetOp (EUMETSAT) satellite.     

Ground-based measurements of total ozone content by the infrared method

To interpret the ground-based measurements of the spectra of direct solar infrared radiation with the help of a Brucker Fourier-spectrometer, a technique for determining the total ozone content (TOC) was developed and implemented. The TOC was determined using six spectral intervals of an ozone-absorption band of 9.6 μm and the shortwave panel of a carbon-dioxide-absorption band of 15 μm, where the impact of other atmospheric parameters on the measured solar radiation was reduced to a minimum. The potential errors of the infrared method for determining the TOC for the chosen spectral scheme with the influence of measurement errors and vertical profiles of temperature are less than 1% for different signal-to-noise ratios and zenith angles of the sun. We analyzed 269 high-resolution (0.005–0.008 cm^?1) spectra of solar infrared radiation measured in Peterhof over 52 days from March to November, 2009. The resulting values of TOC were compared with the results of independent ground-based TOC measurements in Voeikovo (Main Geophysical Observatory) using a Dobson spectrophotometer and an M-124 ozonometer, as well as with the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) satellite data. The mean errors between the results of TOC measurements with the help of the three ground-based probes constitute no more than 0.4%. The rms errors between data obtained by the Brucker spectrometer and the given satellite and ground-based probes constitute 3–4%. A comparison between different series of measurements indicated that the upper estimate for the error of TOC measurements by the Brucker spectrometer was 2.5–3% (when the possible spatial and temporal errors in measurements are disregarded). An analysis of the diurnal variations in the TOC measurements for stable atmospheric conditions yields an upper estimate of ～3 DU (around 1%) for the random component of error in TOC measurements by the Brucker spectrometer.     

Monitoring Measurements from the Jason-1 Microwave Radiometer and Independent Validation with GPS

The Jason-1 Microwave Radiometer (JMR) provides measurements of the wet troposphere content to correct the altimetric range measurement for the associated path delay. Various techniques are used to monitor the JMR wet troposphere path delays, with measurements of zenith troposphere content from terrestrial GPS sites used as an independent verification technique. Results indicate that an unexpected offset of approximately +4.1 ± 1.2 mm (drier) emerged in the JMR measurements of wet path delay between cycles 28–32 of the Jason-1 mission, and that the measurements may be drifting at a rate of approximately ?0.5 mm/year. These anomalies are shown to be caused by a ?0.7 K offset in 23.8 GHz brightness temperatures between cycles 28–32, and a 0.16 ± 0.04 and ?0.45 ± 0.08 K/year drift in the 18.7 and 34.0 GHz brightness temperatures, respectively. Intercomparison of the 3-Hz JMR brightness temperature measurements show that they have been drifting with respect to each other, and that a dependence on yaw-steering regime is present in these measurements. An offset of 0.5 m/s between cycles 28–32 and a drift of approximately 0.5 m/s/year in the JMR wind speed measurements is also associated with these anomalies in the 1-Hz brightness temperatures. These errors in JMR wind speeds presently have a negligible impact on the retrieved JMR path delays.     

Zooplankton distribution across the Lomonosov Ridge,Arctic Ocean: species inventory,biomass and vertical structure

On a transect across the Lomonosov Ridge stratified zooplankton tows were made to the bottom at seven stations. A species inventory was established and compared with earlier observations in the Arctic Ocean. Differences between the Amundsen and Makarov basins are relatively small and correspond well with the general circulation patterns for Atlantic, Pacific, and neritic waters, suggesting slow mixing rates for the different basins. There were no remarkable differences in the species composition or their vertical distribution between the two sides of the Lomonosov Ridge. This indicates effective faunistic exchange across the ridge, although several bathy-pelagic species were almost or completely absent on top of the Ridge. Biomass showed a strong gradient along the transect, with a pronounced peak (9.5 g dry weight m⁻²) in the core of Atlantic water over the ridge, and minima over the deep basins. These differences were related to the effect of bottom topography for deep-living species, and the dynamics of the Atlantic layer for the meso- and epipelagic species. The maximum was formed mainly by the copepods Calanus hyperboreus and Metridia longa together with chaetognaths and ostracods. The presence of young developmental stages in some of the abundant species (C. hyperboreus, M. longa) suggests successful reproduction at all stations but C. finmarchicus was almost exclusively represented as old stages and adults. Comparison with earlier data on abundance and biomass from the Canada Basin (Russian Drift station “North Pole-22”) shows a pronounced difference with respect to both absolute quantities and relative composition. The copepod C. finmarchicus is completely absent in the central Canada Basin, and the portion of non-copepod zooplankton is dramatically decreased. This points to a reduced advection of Atlantic water or more severe food conditions in this basin.     

Depositional conditions and organic matter distribution in the Bornholm Basin,Baltic Sea

Information on grain-size distribution and total organic carbon (TOC) content of surface sediment and cores from the Bornholm Basin, together with dating of cores using the ²¹⁰Pb method and shallow seismic chirp profiling, has been analysed to elucidate long-term accumulation patterns. The presence of non-depositional areas with lag sediments and low TOC content below the wave base indicates that inflows of dense bottom water originating in the North Sea and associated near-bottom currents have strong influence on the depositional patterns of bulk sediment and organic matter in this deep basin. The general fining in mean grain size towards the northeast corresponds to the direction of inflow currents and prevailing winds. Recent and previously found ²¹⁰Pb-based mean accumulation rates vary greatly within the basin, between 129 and 1,144 g m⁻² year⁻¹. The accumulation rate may vary by a factor of three even between stations located only 3–4 km apart. Rates recorded close to a seismic profile are consistent with the variation in Holocene sediment thickness. This variation reflects a depositional system controlled by near-bottom inflow currents, consisting of a large-scale channel and a wedge-formed sediment package. The spatial variation in TOC content depends partly on water depth, presumably due to generally poorer degradation in the deepest part of the basin because of less frequent oxygen supply by inflow water. Moreover, there is a tendency of higher TOC contents in the southern part of the basin, which may be due to the input of sediments originating from the Oder River. Compared to values for the central, deep Baltic Sea, TOC contents show lower values of 4–6% and insignificant temporal variations. This may be due to the Bornholm Basin being located much closer to the source of the more oxic inflow water, resulting in more favourable degradation conditions.     

西北冰洋陆坡区极北哲水蚤种群快速补充研究

在北冰洋的高纬度海区,陆坡—海盆之间的交换对极北哲水蚤（Calanus hyperboreus）的种群补充具有非常重要的意义。为了研究极北哲水蚤在西北冰洋种群补充的地理差异,我们利用2003年夏季所采集的样品,分析了该物种的丰度、种群结构和体长分布。从总丰度的地理分布来看,极北哲水蚤主要分布在楚科奇海与楚科奇深海平原之间的陆坡区（CS-slope）,而在水深较浅的楚科奇海并没有记录。在CS-slope区域,极北哲水蚤的总丰度在1 110.0—5 815.0个/m³之间,而其他海区的总丰度在40.0—950.0个/m³之间。从不同的发育期分布上来看,早期幼体（CI-CIV）在CS-slope区域占优势,而CV期幼体和成体在深水海盆区占优势。从体长的地理分布上来看,差异最为明显的是CⅢ期幼体,其在CS-slope区域的前体长在2.48—2.61 mm之间,而在其他海区的前体长在2.16—2.37 mm之间。与环境因子相关性的分析结果显示,早期幼体（CI-CIV）的丰度与叶绿素a的浓度呈正相关关系,而CV期幼体和成体却与叶绿素a的浓度呈负相关关系。我们的结果表明,极北哲水蚤可以通过加快第一个生长季节的发育速度而受益于初级生产力的增加,并且高生产力的CS-slope区域是陆坡-海盆之间种群补充的潜在来源。     

Interannual variations and trend of the production of inorganic carbon by coccolithophores in the arctic in 2002–2010 based on satellite data

Based on MODIS data, a significant decline in the intensity and spatial extension of blooms of coccolithophore E. huxleyi in Arctic waters in 2002–2010 is revealed and quantified. This 9-year tendency has been unfolding against a background of negative trends in the dynamics of SST and levels of incident PAR and summer-time NAO, which collectively, but with a predominance of the NAO influence, are believed to be the main drivers of the decline of E. huxleyi blooms and the associated decline in inorganic carbon production in the Arctic Basin.     

Vertical flux of phytoplankton and particulate matter in the White Sea according to the long-term exposure of sediment traps

The vertical fluxes of phytoplankton (VF_Phyto) and particulate organic carbon (VF_POC) in the White Sea were determined using seven long-term (292 to 296 days) sediment traps moored at five stations at 67–255 m depths. The annual VF_Phyto and VF_POC ranged from 0.55 to 24.64 g C/m² and from 3.7 to 93.9 g C/m², respectively. The highest VFPhyto was observed in the Basin region located close to the Gorlo along the Tersk coast. The algal biomass accounted for 15–43% of the VF_POC. Diatoms comprised the most important group, accounting for 83–100% in the sedimented biomass. Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii dominated in the VF_Phyto at all the stations except for the station in the basin close to Onega Bay, where Ditylum brightwellii was the most abundant.