Under-ice fauna, sea-ice concentration, sea-ice thickness and under-ice water parameters from the Eurasian central Arctic Ocean during POLARSTERN cruise ARK-XXVII/3 (PS80) in August-September 2012 ...

• Main Authors: David, Carmen Lucia, Lange, Benjamin Allen, Rabe, Benjamin, Flores, Hauke
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2015
• Subjects: amundsen basin; Arctic biodiversity; Arctic Ocean; ice algae; Nansen Basin; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.858588; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.858588

Arctic sea-ice decline is expected to have a significant impact on Arctic marine ecosystems. Ice-associated fauna play a key role in this context because they constitute a unique part of Arctic biodiversity and transmit carbon from sea-ice algae into pelagic and benthic food webs. Our study presents the first regional-scale record of under-ice faunal distribution and the environmental characteristics of under-ice habitats throughout the Eurasian Basin. Sampling was conducted with a Surface and Under-Ice Trawl, equipped with a sensor array recording ice thickness and other physical parameters during trawling. We identified 2 environmental regimes, broadly coherent with the Nansen and Amundsen Basins. The Nansen Basin regime was distinguished from the Amundsen Basin regime by heavier sea-ice conditions, higher surface salinities and higher nitrate + nitrite concentrations. We found a diverse (28 species) under-ice community throughout the Eurasian Basin. Change in community structure reflected differences in ... : The data was collected in the frame of the Iceflux Project (https://www.awi.de/forschung/nachwuchsgruppen/iceflux.html) in cooperation with the Dutch research institute IMARES, who developed the Surface and Under-Ice Trawl. ...