Primary Production in Antarctic Sea Ice

A numerical model shows that in Antarctic sea ice, increased flooding in regions with thick snow cover enhances primary production in the infiltration (surface) layer. Productivity in the freeboard (sea level) layer is also determined by sea ice porosity, which varies with temperature. Spatial and t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Arrigo, Kevin R., Worthen, Denise L., Lizotte, Michael P., Dixon, Paul, Dieckmann, Gerhard
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1997
Subjects:
Antarctic
The Antarctic
Weddell
Weddell Sea
Antarc*
ice pack
Sea ice
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.276.5311.394
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.276.5311.394
Description
Summary:A numerical model shows that in Antarctic sea ice, increased flooding in regions with thick snow cover enhances primary production in the infiltration (surface) layer. Productivity in the freeboard (sea level) layer is also determined by sea ice porosity, which varies with temperature. Spatial and temporal variation in snow thickness and the proportion of first-year ice thus determine regional differences in sea ice primary production. Model results show that of the 40 teragrams of carbon produced annually in the Antarctic ice pack, 75 percent was associated with first-year ice and nearly 50 percent was produced in the Weddell Sea.

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