Premium
Unraveling Phytoplankton Community Dynamics in the Northern Chukchi Sea Under Sea‐Ice‐Covered and Sea‐Ice‐Free Conditions
Author(s) -
Neeley A. R.,
Harris L. A.,
Frey K. E.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2018gl077684
Subject(s) - sea ice , phytoplankton , oceanography , environmental science , sea surface temperature , arctic ice pack , cryosphere , arctic sea ice decline , climatology , geology , antarctic sea ice , nutrient , ecology , biology
The timing of sea ice retreat, light availability, and sea surface stratification largely control the phytoplankton community composition in the Chukchi Sea. This region is experiencing a significant warming trend, an overall decrease in sea ice cover, and a documented decline in annual sea ice persistence and thickness over the past several decades. The consequences of earlier seasonal sea ice retreat and a longer sea‐ice‐free season on phytoplankton community composition warrant investigation. We applied multivariate statistical techniques to elucidate the mechanisms that relate environmental variables to phytoplankton community composition in the Chukchi Sea using data collected during a single field campaign in the summer of 2011. Three phytoplankton groups emerged that were correlated with sea ice, sea surface temperature, nutrients, salinity, and light. Longer ice‐free duration in a future Chukchi Sea will result in warmer sea surface temperatures and nutrient depletion, which we conclude will favor other phytoplankton types over larger diatoms.