Seasonal changes in the abundance and taxonomic composition of bottom ice protists (i.e. diatoms, flagellates, and dinoflagellates) were assessed in the first-year landfast ice of Franklin Bay (Canadian Beaufort Sea) from 24 February to 20 June 2004. On each sampling day, bottom seaice protists were collected at sites of high (>10 cm) and low (<10 cm) snow cover. The net observed growth rates of diatoms and nanoflagellates were significantly higher during the pre-bloom (24 February to 25 March) than the bloom (ca. 3 April to 23 May) period under low snow cover but were not different under high snow cover. In contrast, dinoflagellates showed relatively constant net observed growth rate before and during the bloom period under both snow covers. These results indicate that the 3 protist groups responded differently to changes in the light regime during the growth period. The decline of the protist community after the bloom period was related to a combination of factors including nitrogen deficiency and melting processes. Prior to the bloom, flagellated cells, likely heterotrophic, dominated numerically under high snow cover, whereas autotrophic protists, especially solitary diatoms, prevailed under low snow cover. During the bloom period, colonial diatoms such as Nitzschia frigida, N. promare, Navicula sp. 6, N. pelagica, and Fragilariopsis cylindrus dominated the bottom ice community irrespective of snow depth, although abundances were higher under low snow cover. The arborescent colonial N. frigida, a key species of landfast ice across circumarctic regions, was the most abundant bottom ice algal diatom throughout the entire season. During the post-bloom period, colonial and solitary diatoms declined more rapidly than nanoflagellates, suggesting that nanoflagellates, presumably heterotrophic, were better adapted to melting sea-ice conditions. Our results demonstrated that the availability of nitrate in the surface water limits the accumulation of algal biomass in the bottom horizon of Arctic landfast ice during the vernal growth season.

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Abstract. We studied phyto- and protozooplankton community composition based on light microscopy, flow cytometry and photosynthetic pigment data in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean during March 2019 (early austral autumn). Sampling was focused on the area east of the prime meridian in the Kong Håkon VII Hav, including Astrid Ridge, Maud Rise and a south-north transect at 6° E. Phytoplankton community composition throughout the studied area was characterized by oceanic diatoms typical of the iron-deplete High-Nutrient Low-Chlorophyll (HNLC) Southern Ocean. Topography and wind-driven iron supply likely sustained blooms dominated by the centric diatom Chaetoceros dichaeta at Maud Rise and at a station north of the 6° E transect. For the remainder of the 6° E transect diatom composition was similar to the previously mentioned bloom stations but flagellates dominated in abundance suggesting a post-bloom situation and likely top-down control by krill on the bloom-forming diatoms. Among flagellates, species with haptophyte-type pigments were the dominating group. At Astrid Ridge, overall abundances were lower and pennate were more numerous than centric diatoms, but the community composition was nevertheless typical for HNLC areas. The observations described here show that C. dichaeta can form blooms beyond the background biomass level and fuels both carbon export and upper trophic levels also within HNLC areas. This study is the first thorough assessment of phytoplankton communities in this region and can be compared to other seasons in future studies.

The Southern Ocean is a major sink of anthropogenic CO2 and an important foraging area for top trophic level consumers. However, iron limitation sets an upper limit to primary productivity. Here we report on a considerably dense late summer phytoplankton bloom spanning 9000 km2 in the open ocean of the eastern Weddell Gyre. Over its 2.5 months duration, the bloom accumulated up to 20 g C m−2 of organic matter, which is unusually high for Southern Ocean open waters. We show that, over 1997–2019, this open ocean bloom was likely driven by anomalies in easterly winds that push sea ice southwards and favor the upwelling of Warm Deep Water enriched in hydrothermal iron and, possibly, other iron sources. This recurring open ocean bloom likely facilitates enhanced carbon export and sustains high standing stocks of Antarctic krill, supporting feeding hot spots for marine birds and baleen whales.