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Phytoplankton Community Structure at Subsurface Chlorophyll Maxima on the Western Arctic Shelf: Patterns, Causes, and Ecological Importance
Author(s) -
Zhuang Yanpei,
Jin Haiyan,
Chen Jianfang,
Ren Jian,
Zhang Yang,
Lan Musheng,
Zhang Tianzhen,
He Jianfeng,
Tian Jun
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: biogeosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-8961
pISSN - 2169-8953
DOI - 10.1029/2019jg005570
Subject(s) - phytoplankton , oceanography , environmental science , arctic , chlorophyll a , benthos , diatom , water column , biomass (ecology) , ecosystem , marine ecosystem , food chain , ecology , biology , benthic zone , geology , nutrient , botany
Subsurface chlorophyll maxima (SCM) layers are becoming more important to the Arctic shelf ecosystem as phytoplankton growing season and ice‐free water increase. We measured size‐fractionated pigments and environmental variables on the western Arctic shelf during the open‐water season in 2014, to study the spatial pattern and mechanisms of the phytoplankton community at the SCM. The SCM layers accumulated approximately 50% of the chlorophyll a (Chl a ) standing stock in the water column, and the contribution increased to >70% for high‐biomass areas, suggesting the biological importance of the summer SCM in the shelf ecosystem. The spatial difference in phytoplankton biomass was caused mainly by bioavailable nitrogen concentrations, and the spatial difference in diatom size may be the result of differences in predominant species. High biomass and large diatoms dominated in the SCM layers, making the south and north of the Chukchi shelf a biological hotspot for the ecosystem's food chain and benthos of the western Arctic shelf in summer.