No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Abstract. Five sediment traps deployed in the Greenland Sea at a depth of 500 m between 72øN and 75øN by the Sonderforschungsbereich 313, Kiel, Germany, provide the necessary data to compare particle flux with ambient ice regimes. Sedimentation in this seasonally ice-covered region is dependent upon the following three basic parameters: (1) ice concentration, (2) duration of ice cover, and (3) distance from the ice edge. These factors vary significantly with time and space. We develop algorithms that provide annual sedimentation amounts for the area contained by 71øN to 76øN, the Greenland coast, and 10øE. For a severe ice year the area of seasonal ice cover and an 80-km-wide band extending along the maximum extent of the ice edge, the Biological Marginal Ice Zone (BMIZ), combine to provide 92% of the total sedimentation. For particulate organic carbon and silica this zone accounts for 89% each of the total sedimentation. In a light ice year the respective percentages are 84% for dry weight, 87% for particulate organic carbon, and 81% for biogenic particulate silica. These figures are slightly less than sedimentation for a severe ice year. If the Is Odden-Nordbukta region is replaced by open ocean for purposes of comparison, the BMIZ out produces the open ocean for POC by a factor of 3.2. Projecting the algorithms for the Is Odden-Nordbukta region to the rest of the Greenland Sea, we conclude that the Is Odden-Nordbukta region is a substantial producer of sedimentation.

No abstract