Stable isotope compositions of arctic copepods in the Greenland Sea in winter (scientific note)

• Main Authors: Sasaki,Hiroshi, Kawai ,Daisuke, Sato,Megumi
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Department of Biotechnology, Senshu University of Ishinomaki/Department of Biotechnology, Senshu University of Ishinomaki/Department of Biotechnology, Senshu University of Ishinomaki 2001
• Subjects: Arctic; Greenland; Greenland Sea; Memoirs of National Institute of Polar Research; Polar Research; Zooplankton; Copepods
• Online Access: https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_uri&item_id=2396; http://id.nii.ac.jp/1291/00002396/; https://nipr.repo.nii.ac.jp/?action=repository_action_common_download&item_id=2396&item_no=1&attribute_id=18&file_no=1

Natural abundances of stable isotopes (δ^<13>C and δ^<15>N) were measured in copepods collected in the Greenland Sea in January 1999. Standing stocks of zooplankton dominated by copepods in the upper 200m varied among 12 stations and marked zooplankton increases at 4 stations (>10 mg-dry weight m^<-3>) were observed around the marginal ice zone, although surface chlorophyll a concentrations at all stations were nearly zero. The isotopic compositions of copepods varied in the ranges of -22.2‰∿-20.6‰ in δ^<13>C and of 8.2‰-12.2‰ in δ^<15>N, which were comparable with those collected in other polar waters. The enrichment factors (difference in δ^<15>N between copepods and POM) of about 3.2 suggest possible linkage between winter copepods and winter POM without algal populations.