Polish Academy of Sciences

• Main Authors: Ryszard Ligowski, Elżbieta Kopczyńska, Dziekanów Leśny
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antarctic; Weddell Sea; King George Island; Bellingshausen Sea; Bransfield Strait; Admiralty Bay; Weddell; South Orkney Islands; Elephant Island; Antarc*; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.476.994; http://polish.polar.pan.pl/ppr12/1991-4_529-546.pdf

Distribution of net phytoplankton in the sea-ice zone between Elephant Island and the South Orkney Islands (December 1988- January 1989) ABSTRACT: Altogether 105 algal taxa were identified including 101 diatom species. Chaetoceros criophilus was dominant in the western part of the study area influenced by waters from the Bellingshausen Sea. Coretiiron criophilum was abundant in the Weddcll Sea water mass found to the east of 53.5°W meridian. Nitzschia cylindrus common in the ice-melt samples was dominant in only two net phytoplankton collections obtained at the ice-edge zone. Additional samples from Admiralty Bay, at King George Island revealed the dominance of Chaetoceros socialis and the presence of many tychoplankton species. Very few diatom cells were found in the open waters of the Bransfield Strait which combined with the presence of krill, suggested intensive grazing by herbivores. The unstable waters of the Weddell-Scotia Confluence area contained little phytoplankton except for a station dominated by Phaeocystis pouchetii. Greater cell densities were related to warm, lower salinity Weddell Sea water of summer modification found in the surface layer east from 49°W. K e y w o r d s: Antarctic, Weddell Sea, net phytoplankton, sea ice edge, diatoms.