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Hidden Production: On the Importance of Pelagic Phytoplankton Blooms Beneath Arctic Sea Ice
Author(s) -
Clement Kinney Jaclyn,
Maslowski Wieslaw,
Osinski Robert,
Jin Meibing,
Frants Marina,
Jeffery Nicole,
Lee Younjoo J.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: oceans
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9291
pISSN - 2169-9275
DOI - 10.1029/2020jc016211
Subject(s) - sea ice , oceanography , phytoplankton , arctic , arctic ice pack , pelagic zone , environmental science , arctic sea ice decline , geology , drift ice , nutrient , ecology , biology
Recent observations suggest that substantial phytoplankton blooms occur under sea ice on Arctic continental shelves during June and July. This is opposed to the traditional view that no significant biomass is produced in sea‐ice covered waters. However, no observational estimates are available on the Arctic‐wide primary production beneath sea ice. Here, using a fully coupled Arctic system model, we estimate that 63%/41% of the total primary production in the central Arctic occurs in waters covered by sea ice that is ≥50%/≥85% concentration. The total primary production there is increasing at a rate of 5.2% per decade during 1980–2018. Increased light transmission, due to the removal of sea ice, more extensive melt ponds, and thinner sea ice, is implicated as the main cause of increasing trends in primary production.