Figure Influence of the Barents Sea Frontal Zones on Chlorophyll Concentration in Spring

Abstract

In spring of 2016, 2018 and 2019, chlorophyll a (Chl a) content was studied in the 0-50 m layer on the vast Barents Sea area - to the north of 75∘ N. Standard sampling was carried out at 11 oceanographic transects, including 52 stations. Due to the negative ice anomalies and the high-latitude position of the ice edge, original data on Chl a concentration for spring period were obtained in hard-to-reach and previously unexplored areas of the Barents Sea. The investigation area covered the Marginal Ice Arctic zone, as well as the area where the Polar Front was located quasi-stationary. The effect of the Marginal Ice Arctic and Polar frontal zones on the distribution of Chl a concentration was revealed. The strongest factor influencing the distribution of chlorophyll was the Polar Front. It divided mainly Arctic and Atlantic waters. The highest pigment concentrations corresponded to the Arctic water mass and exceeded the content of pigment in water of Atlantic origin by an order of magnitude. The impact of the Marginal Ice Arctic Front was not so obvious - the content of Chl a in waters of various genesis differed, but not more than by a factor of 2.

Features of the Distribution of Chlorophyll-a Concentration along the Western Coast of the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago in Spring

“…Slightly lower values were determined in the transformed Atlantic waters of the Novozemelskoe and Kolguevo-Pechorskoe currents (3.53 ± 0.97-3.71 ± 1.04 mg/m 3 ), with the lowest in the Barents waters (1.24 ± 0.84-1.45 ± 1.13 mg/m 3 ). Our long-term (2016, 2018, 2019) studies of the chlorophyll concentrations in various types of waters in the open part of the Barents Sea confirm this pattern [49,50].…”

“…Our studies in the ice-edge zone in the north of the Barents Sea in April 2016 and 2019 did not record the spring bloom of the phytoplankton community. Only in May 2018 did we observe the phytoplankton spring bloom in the ice-edge zone [49].…”

Dynamics of the Spatial Chlorophyll-A Distribution at the Polar Front in the Marginal Ice Zone of the Barents Sea during Spring

“…Preliminary results of this study were reported at the International Applied Research Conference «BRDEM-2019» and published in the conference collection of papers [20]. Ref [20] describes differences in chlorophyll-a levels in different Barents Sea water masses, although the factors that cause these differences were not discussed. Later on, additional data on the species composition of phytoplankton assemblages and the seawater hydrology during the investigation period were acquired.…”

Aspects of satellite and subsatellite studies of chlorophyll-a in Arctic waters

“…Investigation of chlorophyll-a content in the pelagial of marine waters, and its spatial and temporal dynamics, is an integral part of the study of phytoplankton communities and a generally recognized method for assessing the biomass and development of phytoplankton, as well as the productive potential of sea waters [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]. Data on the concentration of chlorophyll-a (Chl_a) is an actual tool for ensuring environmental management programs taking into account the sustainability of marine ecosystems.…”

“…AGRITECH-VI-2021 IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 981 (2022) 042071 IOP Publishing doi:10.1088/1755-1315/981/4/042071 2years, the MMBI expedition researches in the Barents Sea have been aimed at investigating the influence of the ice edge and frontal zones on the functioning of Arctic phytoplankton communities at high latitudes[7].Full-scale data on Chl_a concentrations were obtained on voyages of research vessel «Dalnie Zelentsy» in 2013-2019. The scope of work performed includes the open waters of the Barents Sea, the Kola and Motovsky bays and the waters of the fjords of the Svalbard archipelago (figure1).…”