Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea
Ice shelves cover ~1.6 million km2 of the Antarctic continental shelf and are sensitive indicators of climate change. With ice-shelf retreat, aphotic marine environments transform into new open-water spaces of photo-induced primary production and associated organic matter export to the benthos. Pred...
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/1/biology-11-01705-v2.pdf https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/12/1705 |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:533638 2023-05-15T14:02:21+02:00 Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea Frinault, Bétina A.V. Christie, Frazer D.W. Fawcett, Sarah E. Flynn, Raquel F. Hutchinson, Katherine A. Montes Strevens, Chloë M. J. Taylor, Michelle L. Woodall, Lucy C. Barnes, David K.A. 2022-11-25 text http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/1/biology-11-01705-v2.pdf https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/12/1705 en eng MDPI https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/1/biology-11-01705-v2.pdf Frinault, Bétina A.V.; Christie, Frazer D.W.; Fawcett, Sarah E.; Flynn, Raquel F.; Hutchinson, Katherine A.; Montes Strevens, Chloë M. J.; Taylor, Michelle L.; Woodall, Lucy C.; Barnes, David K.A. orcid:0000-0002-9076-7867 . 2022 Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea [in special issue: Polar Ecosystem: Response of Organisms to Changing Climate] Biology, 11 (12), 1705. 28, pp. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121705 <https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121705> cc_by_4 CC-BY Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2022 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121705 2023-02-04T19:53:48Z Ice shelves cover ~1.6 million km2 of the Antarctic continental shelf and are sensitive indicators of climate change. With ice-shelf retreat, aphotic marine environments transform into new open-water spaces of photo-induced primary production and associated organic matter export to the benthos. Predicting how Antarctic seafloor assemblages may develop following ice-shelf loss requires knowledge of assemblages bordering the ice-shelf margins, which are relatively undocumented. This study investigated seafloor assemblages, by taxa and functional groups, in a coastal polynya adjacent to the Larsen C Ice Shelf front, western Weddell Sea. The study area is rarely accessed, at the frontline of climate change, and located within a CCAMLR-proposed international marine protected area. Four sites, ~1 to 16 km from the ice-shelf front, were explored for megabenthic assemblages, and potential environmental drivers of assemblage structures were assessed. Faunal density increased with distance from the ice shelf, with epifaunal deposit-feeders a surrogate for overall density trends. Faunal richness did not exhibit a significant pattern with distance from the ice shelf and was most variable at sites closest to the ice-shelf front. Faunal assemblages significantly differed in composition among sites, and those nearest to the ice shelf were the most dissimilar; however, ice-shelf proximity did not emerge as a significant driver of assemblage structure. Overall, the study found a biologically-diverse and complex seafloor environment close to an ice-shelf front and provides ecological baselines for monitoring benthic ecosystem responses to environmental change, supporting marine management. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Weddell Sea Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Antarctic The Antarctic Weddell Sea Weddell Biology 11 12 1705 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
English |
description |
Ice shelves cover ~1.6 million km2 of the Antarctic continental shelf and are sensitive indicators of climate change. With ice-shelf retreat, aphotic marine environments transform into new open-water spaces of photo-induced primary production and associated organic matter export to the benthos. Predicting how Antarctic seafloor assemblages may develop following ice-shelf loss requires knowledge of assemblages bordering the ice-shelf margins, which are relatively undocumented. This study investigated seafloor assemblages, by taxa and functional groups, in a coastal polynya adjacent to the Larsen C Ice Shelf front, western Weddell Sea. The study area is rarely accessed, at the frontline of climate change, and located within a CCAMLR-proposed international marine protected area. Four sites, ~1 to 16 km from the ice-shelf front, were explored for megabenthic assemblages, and potential environmental drivers of assemblage structures were assessed. Faunal density increased with distance from the ice shelf, with epifaunal deposit-feeders a surrogate for overall density trends. Faunal richness did not exhibit a significant pattern with distance from the ice shelf and was most variable at sites closest to the ice-shelf front. Faunal assemblages significantly differed in composition among sites, and those nearest to the ice shelf were the most dissimilar; however, ice-shelf proximity did not emerge as a significant driver of assemblage structure. Overall, the study found a biologically-diverse and complex seafloor environment close to an ice-shelf front and provides ecological baselines for monitoring benthic ecosystem responses to environmental change, supporting marine management. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Frinault, Bétina A.V. Christie, Frazer D.W. Fawcett, Sarah E. Flynn, Raquel F. Hutchinson, Katherine A. Montes Strevens, Chloë M. J. Taylor, Michelle L. Woodall, Lucy C. Barnes, David K.A. |
spellingShingle |
Frinault, Bétina A.V. Christie, Frazer D.W. Fawcett, Sarah E. Flynn, Raquel F. Hutchinson, Katherine A. Montes Strevens, Chloë M. J. Taylor, Michelle L. Woodall, Lucy C. Barnes, David K.A. Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea |
author_facet |
Frinault, Bétina A.V. Christie, Frazer D.W. Fawcett, Sarah E. Flynn, Raquel F. Hutchinson, Katherine A. Montes Strevens, Chloë M. J. Taylor, Michelle L. Woodall, Lucy C. Barnes, David K.A. |
author_sort |
Frinault, Bétina A.V. |
title |
Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea |
title_short |
Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea |
title_full |
Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea |
title_fullStr |
Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea |
title_sort |
antarctic seabed assemblages in an ice-shelf-adjacent polynya, western weddell sea |
publisher |
MDPI |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/ https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/1/biology-11-01705-v2.pdf https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/12/1705 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Weddell Sea Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Weddell Sea Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Ice Shelf Ice Shelves Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533638/1/biology-11-01705-v2.pdf Frinault, Bétina A.V.; Christie, Frazer D.W.; Fawcett, Sarah E.; Flynn, Raquel F.; Hutchinson, Katherine A.; Montes Strevens, Chloë M. J.; Taylor, Michelle L.; Woodall, Lucy C.; Barnes, David K.A. orcid:0000-0002-9076-7867 . 2022 Antarctic Seabed Assemblages in an Ice-Shelf-Adjacent Polynya, Western Weddell Sea [in special issue: Polar Ecosystem: Response of Organisms to Changing Climate] Biology, 11 (12), 1705. 28, pp. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121705 <https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121705> |
op_rights |
cc_by_4 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11121705 |
container_title |
Biology |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
1705 |
_version_ |
1766272566264070144 |