Fatty acid composition, element concentration and isotope ratios of sea ice algae sampled in Rijpfjorden, Svalbard ...

• Main Authors: Leu, Eva, Wiktor, Jozef M, Søreide, Janne E, Berge, J, Falk-Petersen, Stig
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; ice algae; International Polar Year; IPY; Rijpfjord*; Sea ice; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.815810; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.815810

The accelerating decrease of Arctic sea ice substantially changes the growth conditions for primary producers, particularly with respect to light. This affects the biochemical composition of sea ice algae, which are an essential high-quality food source for herbivores early in the season. Their high nutritional value is related to their content of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which play an important role for successful maturation, egg production, hatching and nauplii development in grazers. We followed the fatty acid composition of an assemblage of sea ice algae in a high Arctic fjord during spring from the early bloom stage to post bloom. Light conditions proved to be decisive in determining the nutritional quality of sea ice algae, and irradiance was negatively correlated with the relative amount of PUFAs. Algal PUFA content decreased on average by 40 % from April to June, while algal biomass (measured as particulate carbon, C) did not differ. This decrease was even more pronounced when algae were ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...