Sea‐ice impact on long‐term particle flux in the Greenland Sea's Is Odden‐Nordbukta region, 1985–1996

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.

Organic matter pathways to zooplankton and benthos under pack ice in late winter and open water in late summer in the north-central Bering Sea

“…In the Bering Sea, earlier melting tends to result in lower phytoplankton biomass during the bloom (Saitoh et al 2002). Based on work in other regions, interpretations differ as to whether total primary production when an ice-edge bloom occurs exceeds that from an open-water bloom alone (Sakshaug & Slagstad 1992, Strass & Nöthig 1996, Ramseier et al 1999, Engelsen et al 2002. Regardless of such disparities, the fate of production from the 2 bloom types is thought to be quite different.…”

Polycystine radiolarians in the Greenland-Iceland-Norwegian Seas: Species and assemblage distribution

“…In comparison, the GIN Seas have a subdued production regime: the annual export of biogenic opal is relatively low in the Norwegian Sea, 0.5-1.22 g m À2 a À1 (van Bodungen & al. 1995), while it is 0.7-2.3 g m À2 a À1 for the Greenland Sea (Ramseier & al. 1999).…”

Holocene cooling culminates in sea ice oscillations in Fram Strait

“…Accordingly, the less variable though steadily rising accumulation of IP 25 at core site MSM5/5-723-2 e ca 40 km further to the north of core site MSM5/ 5-712-2 e relates to a continuously increasing ice coverage during the past 3000 years BP. As marine primary productivity is demonstrably stimulated in the marginal ice zone (release of nutrients from the melting sea ice triggers the bloom of the phytoplankton algae in the proximity of the ice edge; Hebbeln and Wefer, 1991;Ramseier et al, 1999;Sakshaug, 2004;Smith et al, 1987), we conclude that the periods of peak IP 25 and phytoplankton marker contents in core MSM5/5-712-2 at about 2800, 2300 and 1600 years BP reflect beneficial living conditions at the ice edge for both sea ice algae and plankton thriving in open water (Müller et al, 2009(Müller et al, , 2011. Interestingly, Svendsen and Mangerud (1997) report concurrent (with minor temporal shifts) periods of abrupt glacier advances on West Spitsbergen.…”