Arctic Ocean change and consequences to biodiversity: A perspective on linkage and scale (scientific note)

• Main Authors: Carmack,Eddy, McLaughlin,Fiona
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Institute of Ocean Sciences/Institute of Ocean Sciences 2001
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean; Pacific; Ramsay; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2391; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002391/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2391&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

In the Arctic Ocean at least two climate-linked, contiguous domains are linked to ecosystems through both bottom-up (e. g. changes in light and nutrient regimes) and top-down (e. g. changes in fish and large predator populations) regulation. The first is the ∿7×(10)^6(km)^2 seasonal ice zone (SIZ) which affects light and nutrient regimes, and also provides a solid surface upon which large mammals travel, rest, reproduce and hunt. The second is the ∿10×(10)^3km long riverine coastal domain (RCD), driven by runoff, which affects light, nutrient and carbon regimes and provides a pathway for the dispersal and migration of marine biota. Sustained observation of marine mammal and bird behaviour may unlock 'topdown' information to an important ecological question raised by Malcolm Ramsay (pers. comm.), namely : What environmental conditions prompt certain animals to be in a certain place at a certain time, and how will they respond to changing climate conditions? Finally, it is noted that the Arctic is not an isolated sea, but rather is interconnected to the water masses and ecosystems of the Pacific and Atlantic.