Status and trends in the structure of Arctic benthic food webs

• Published in: Polar Research
• Main Authors: Monika Kędra, Charlotte Moritz, Emily S. Choy, Carmen David, Renate Degen, Steven Duerksen, Ingrid Ellingsen, Barbara Górska, Jacqueline M. Grebmeier, Dubrava Kirievskaya, Dick van Oevelen, Kasia Piwosz, Annette Samuelsen, Jan Marcin Węsławski
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Norwegian Polar Institute 2015
• Subjects: Arctic; food web; climate change; sea-ice retreat; trophic transfer; pelagic–benthic coupling; Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Oceanography; GC1-1581; Arctic Ocean; Chukchi; Climate change; ice pack; Polar Research; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3402/polar.v34.23775; https://doaj.org/article/955c07a966ee498bb8452aa5ed1f9628

Ongoing climate warming is causing a dramatic loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, and it is projected that the Arctic Ocean will become seasonally ice-free by 2040. Many studies of local Arctic food webs now exist, and with this review paper we aim to synthesize these into a large-scale assessment of the current status of knowledge on the structure of various Arctic marine food webs and their response to climate change, and to sea-ice retreat in particular. Key drivers of ecosystem change and potential consequences for ecosystem functioning and Arctic marine food webs are identified along the sea-ice gradient, with special emphasis on the following regions: seasonally ice-free Barents and Chukchi seas, loose ice pack zone of the Polar Front and Marginal Ice Zone, and permanently sea-ice covered High Arctic. Finally, we identify knowledge gaps in different Arctic marine food webs and provide recommendations for future studies.