Microbiological Explorations in the Northern Part of the Barents Sea in Early Winter

The total number of microorganisms and rates of microbial processes of the carbon cycle were determined in snow, sea ice, water, and seafloor sediments of the northern part of the Barents Sea from September to October, 1998. The explorations were carried out in two areas: along the transection from Franz Josef Land to Victoria Island and along the continental slope region covered with solid ice at latitude 81°–82° N and longitude 37°–39° E. At the time of study, the ice cover was represented by thick one-year old ice (up to 1.2 m), perennial ice (up to 1.85 m), and pack ice. The number of bacteria in the snow cover, sea ice, and seawater was 12 to 14, 50 to 110, and 10 to 240 × 10³ cells/ml, respectively. Rates of dark CO₂ assimilation, glucose utilization, and methane oxidation by bacteria were determined. The highest rate of microbial processes was found in samples of the lowermost newly formed sea ice. The lowest level of activity for all processes was observed in melted snow water. A direct relation was shown between the concentration of C_org, the bacterial biomass, and the values of ¹³C_org in mixtures of melted snow and ice. The number of microorganisms and rates of microbial processes in seafloor sediments measured at the stations on the continental slope are comparable to those in the central part of the Barents Sea and the northern part of the Kara Sea.     

The rotifer fauna of arctic sea ice from the Barents Sea,Laptev Sea [2pt] and Greenland Sea

Hydrobiologia - Samples from arctic sea ice were studied for their rotifer fauna. Ice core samples were collected in the northern Barents Sea and the Laptev Sea from August to October 1993 and in...     

Winter aggregations of marine mammals and birds in the north-eastern Weddell Sea pack ice

Summary A seabird and mammal census was carried out in the north-eastern Weddell Sea during the austral winter of 1986. The German research icebreaker Polarstern operated in heavy pack ice along the Greenwich Meridian between the northern sea ice boundary and the Antarctic coast. Crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophagus), minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), Antarctic petrels (Thalassoica antarctica) and snow petrels (Pagodroma nivea) were found to be more abundant in the vicinity of the submarine Maud Rise, about 700 km north of the continental margin, than in other areas of substantial ice cover traversed during that cruise. The aggregations of birds and mammals are expected to reflect aggregations of their principal food, krill (Euphausia superba) wintering underneath the ice cover. The distribution pattern of krill predators coincides with the course of a warm water belt upwelling near Maud Rise. This upwelling could induce local ice melting which in turn may result in an increased release of sea ice algae.     

Production and hydrochemical characteristics of ice,under-ice water and sediments in the Razdolnaya River estuary (Amursky Bay,Sea of Japan) during the ice cover period

Production and hydrochemical characteristics of ice, under-ice water, and sediments in the Razdol’naya River estuary (Sea of Japan) were studied during the ice cover periods of the years 2007 and 2008. In 2007, snow cover was absent until mid-February and PAR levels under ice were sufficient for the development of phytoplankton. The chlorophyll a content in ice, under-ice water, and surface sediments was high, while nutrient levels were decreased. After a snowfall, the chlorophyll content in ice and under-ice water decreased sharply. In winter 2008, snow cover was formed immediately after freeze-up; therefore, PAR levels in the ice and under-ice water were significantly reduced. The chlorophyll content was lower, but nutrient levels were higher than in 2007. In both winter seasons, the greatest portion of chlorophyll (up to 85%) was contained in surface sediments. Diatoms were dominant in ice and under-ice water. In the absence of snow, primary production at the end of ice cover period may reach 1 g cal/(m² day). With snow cover present, this index was markedly reduced.     

The sub-ice algal community in the Chukchi sea: large- and small-scale patterns of abundance based on images from a remotely operated vehicle

We examined the sub-ice algal community in the Chukchi Sea during June 1998 using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). Ice algae were observed on the under-ice surface at all ten stations (from 70°29′N to 72°26′N; 162°00′W to 153°56′W) and varied in abundance and distribution from small aggregations limited to depressions in the ice to nets, curtains and strands of Melosira. There was no relationship between percent cover of sub-ice algae and physical factors at the kilometer scale, but at the scale of individual ice floes the percent cover of sub-ice algae was positively correlated with distance from the floe edge and negatively correlated with snow depth. A significant positive relationship between the concentration of sediment pigments and percent cover of sub-ice could indicate a coupling between ice algal and benthic systems. Pieces of ice algae that appeared to be Melosira were observed on the seafloor to a depth of over 100 m and cells or spores of obligate ice algal taxa were collected from sediments from 44-m to 1,000-m deep. The large biomass of sub-ice algae observed at many stations in the Chukchi Sea and the presence of ice algae on the seafloor indicates that the distribution and abundance of sub-ice algae needs to be understood if we are to evaluate the role of ice algae in the Arctic marine ecosystem.     

Evidence for a permanent establishment of the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) in the Barents Sea

In the Atlantic the snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) is naturally distributed on the northwestern side, i.e. eastern Canada and west Greenland. Until recently, there have been no observations of snow crab in eastern Atlantic. However, in 1990s single and occasional reports were made of crabs captured in the eastern part of the Barents Sea, presumably introduced through ballast water. Special attention during the annual bottom-trawl surveys in the Barents Sea during February 2004–2006 were given to include recordings of snow crab to evaluate if the introduced species has succeeded to establish a self-sustaining population in this region. Recordings of snow crabs were systematically noted and biological measurements carried out. The results confirm previous Russian observations of snow crabs in the northern region of Gåsebanken. In addition, a significant number of crabs were also found in the central region of the Barents Sea, mainly in deeper waters from 180 to 350 m depth. The sizes ranged from 14 to 136 mm carapace width. All females above 70 mm were berried with fertilised eggs. A major fraction (31% in 2005; 76% in 2006) of the crabs consisted of juveniles below 50 mm CW, providing evidence for successful recruitment. The small-sized crabs were exclusively found in Gåsebanken, identifying the main recruiting area at present for snow crab in the Barents Sea. The results obtained show that the snow crab is now adapted to the northeast Atlantic.     

Microbial processes of the carbon and sulfur cycles in the Chukchi Sea

The research performed in August 2004 within the framework of the Russian-American Long-term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) resulted in the first data concerning the rates of the key microbial processes in the water column and bottom sediments of the Bering strait and the Chukchi Sea. The total bacterial counts in the water column varied from 30 x 10(3) cells ml(-1) in the northern and eastern parts to 245 x 10(3) cells ml(-1) in the southern part. The methane content in the water column of the Chukchi sea varied from 8 nmol CH4 l(-1) in the eastern part of the sea to 31 nmol CH4 l(-1) in the northern part of the Herald Canyon. Active microbial processes occurred in the upper 0-3 cm of the bottom sediments; the methane formation rate varied from 0.25 to 16 nmol CH4 dm(-3) day(-1). The rates of methane oxidation varied from 1.61 to 14.7 nmol CH4 dm(-3) day(-1). The rates of sulfate reduction varied from 1.35 to 16.2 micromol SO4(2-) dm(-3) day(-1). The rate of methane formation in the sediments increased with depth, while sulfate reduction rates decreased (less than 1 micromol SO4(2-) dm(-3) day(-1)). These high concentrations of biogenic elements and high rates of microbial processes in the upper sediment layers suggest a specific type of trophic chain in the Chukchi Sea. The approximate calculated balance of methane emission from the water column into the atmosphere is from 5.4 to 57.3 micromol CH4 m(-2) day(-1).     

Notes on the biology of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic

The sea ice which covers large areas of the polar regions plays a major role in the marine ecosystem of both the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Not only do warmblooded animals depend on sea ice as a platform, but the sympagic organisms living internally within the sea ice or at the interfaces ice/snow and ice/water provide a substantial part of the total primary production of the ice covered regions. In addition sea ice organisms are an important food source for a variety of pelagic animals and may initiate phytoplankton spring blooms after ice melt by seeding effects.Sea ice organisms often are enriched by some orders of magnitude if the same volume of melted ice is compared to that of the underlying water column. Three hypotheses try to explain this discrepancy and are discussed. Investigations on the nutrient chemistry within the sea ice system and in-situ observations still are rare. Intense growth of sympagic organisms can result in nutrient deficiencies, at least in selected habitats. Advances in endoscopie methods may lead to a better understanding of the life within the sea ice.Paper presented at the Symposium on Polar regions: the challenge for biological and ecological research organised by the Swiss Committee for Polar Research, Basel on 2 October 1992     

末次冰期南海巽他陆架上的植被和气候——17962孔孢粉记录

提供了南海大陆坡上17962孔深海沉积物的孢粉记录.该孔长8 m,底部14C年龄为30 000 a BP,跨越了深海氧同位素3期、末次冰期、冰消期和全新世几个地质历史阶段.孢粉记录显示末次冰期低海面时南海南部出露的陆架上覆盖了低地雨林.同时,在邻近的岛屿上山地雨林扩张,表明气候比现在凉,但是没有变干的迹象.冰消期植被和气候都经历了快速变暖和变凉的波动.全新世时,红树林和低地雨林的扩张以及孢粉沉积率的明显降低均表明气候变暖,海面上升,大陆架被淹没.     

Sea ice resource selection models for polar bears in the Barents Sea subpopulation

The extent, thickness and age of Arctic sea ice has dramatically declined since the late 1990s, and these trends are predicted to continue. Exploring the habitat use of sea‐ice‐dependent species can help us understand which resources they use and how their distribution responds to a changing environment. The goal of this study was to develop predictive models of the habitat use of an Arctic apex predator. Polar bear Ursus maritimus habitat use in the Barents Sea subpopulation was modelled with seasonal resource selection functions (RSFs) using satellite‐linked telemetry data from 294 collars deployed on female polar bears between 1991 and 2015. Polar bears selected habitat in the Marginal Ice Zone, with a preference for intermediate sea ice concentrations (40–80%). They spent most time in areas with relatively short travel distances to 15 or 75% ice concentration, and during spring and autumn they exhibited a preference for sea ice areas over the continental shelf or over shallower bathymetry). Predictions of the distribution of polar bears in the Barents Sea area can be made for specific sea ice scenarios using these models. Two such predictive distribution maps based on the autumn seasonal model were made and validated against two independent polar bear survey datasets collected in August 2004 and August 2015. The distribution of optimal polar bear habitat has shifted strongly northwards in all seasons of the year during the 25 yr study period.     

Seabird species associations and affinities to areas covered with sea ice in the northern Greenland and Barents Seas

Species associations and affinity to sea ice among arctic marine birds were studied during ship transects in the northern Greenland and Barents Seas in the period 1980–1984. Associations were investigated at the scale of visual contact, and the sampling units were 10-min periods, corresponding to a transect length of 1.5–3 km. In the Greenland Sea, three or four of the most abundant species, fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis), little auk (Alle alle), Brünnich's guillemot (Uria lomvia) and kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, composed a recurrent group in all years. In the Barents Sea, fulmars, Brünnich's guillemots and kittiwakes were most often clustered. A positive association with sea ice was found in more than one cruise in three seabird species: black guillemots, ivory gulls and little auks, whereas seven other species showed negative association with ice in more than one cruise. The observed species associations and affinities to sea ice reflect similarities in diet among the species involved. Received: 23 February 1994 / Accepted: 12 January 1997     

Specific features of the spatial and temporal distribution of the White Sea population of harp seal

Analysis of the data obtained during aerial survey of sea mammals in the 1980s–1990s (White and Barents seas) has revealed that, during all the seasons of the year, harp seals of the White Sea population form two types of aggregations which differ in size and some ecological features. Large herds of seals (tens of thousands of individuals) are able to occupy areas extending tens and even hundreds of kilometers. Harp seals prefer to inhabit the northern part of the population range (Barents Sea), whereas the southern part (White Sea) is mainly used for reproduction and molting. Small herds (several hundred animals) can be scattered over vast territories, but they tend to dwell in the southern part of the area including the White Sea and southern areas of the Barents Sea. The opportunity to distinguish between these two types of aggregations makes it possible to study the biological features of each of them and to specify characteristics of the species biology.     

末次冰期南海巽他陆架上的植被和气候——17962孔孢粉记录

提供了南海大陆坡上17962孔深海沉积物的孢粉记录。该孔长8m,底部^14C年龄为30000aBP,跨越了深海氧同位素3期,末次初期,冰消期和全新世几个地质历史阶段。孢偻记录显示末次冰期低海面时南海南部出露的陆架上了低地雨林。同时,在邻近的岛屿上山地雨林扩张,表明气候比较在凉,但是没有变干的迹象,冰消期植被和气候都经历了快速变暖的变凉的波动。全新世时,红树林和低地雨林的扩及孢粉沉积率的明显降低均表明气候变暖,海面上升,大陆架被淹没。     

Deposition and postdeposition mechanisms as possible drivers of microbial population variability in glacier ice

Glaciers accumulate airborne microorganisms year by year and thus are good archives of microbial communities and their relationship to climatic and environmental changes. Hypotheses have focused on two possible drivers of microbial community composition in glacier systems. One is aeolian deposition, in which the microbial load by aerosol, dust, and precipitation events directly determines the amount and composition of microbial species in glacier ice. The other is postdepositional selection, in which the metabolic activity in surface snow causes microbial community shifts in glacier ice. An additional possibility is that both processes occur simultaneously. Aeolian deposition initially establishes a microbial community in the ice, whereas postdeposition selection strengthens the deposition patterns of microorganisms with the development of tolerant species in surface snow, resulting in varying structures of microbial communities with depth. In this minireview, we examine these postulations through an analysis of physical–chemical and biological parameters from the Malan and Vostok ice cores, and the Kuytun 51 Glacial surface and deep snow. We discuss these and other recent results in the context of the hypothesized mechanisms driving microbial community succession in glaciers. We explore our current gaps in knowledge and point out future directions for research on microorganisms in glacial ecosystems.     

Effect of environmental variables on eukaryotic microbial community structure of land‐fast Arctic sea ice

Sea ice microbial community structure affects carbon and nutrient cycling in polar seas, but its susceptibility to changing environmental conditions is not well understood. We studied the eukaryotic microbial community in sea ice cores recovered near Point Barrow, AK in May 2006 by documenting the composition of the community in relation to vertical depth within the cores, as well as light availability (mainly as variable snow cover) and nutrient concentrations. We applied a combination of epifluorescence microscopy, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and clone libraries of a section of the 18S rRNA gene in order to compare the community structure of the major eukaryotic microbial phylotypes in the ice. We find that the community composition of the sea ice is more affected by the depth horizon in the ice than by light availability, although there are significant differences in the abundance of some groups between light regimes. Epifluorescence microscopy shows a shift from predominantly heterotrophic life styles in the upper ice to autotrophy prevailing in the bottom ice. This is supported by the statistical analysis of the similarity between the samples based on the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis banding patterns, which shows a clear difference between upper and lower ice sections with respect to phylotypes and their proportional abundance. Clone libraries constructed using diatom‐specific primers confirm the high diversity of diatoms in the sea ice, and support the microscopic counts. Evidence of protistan grazing upon diatoms was also found in lower sections of the core, with implications for carbon and nutrient recycling in the ice.     

Geochemistry and Microbial Populations in Sediments of the Northern Baffin Bay,Arctic

The Northern Baffin Bay between Greenland and Canada is a remote Arctic area restricted in primary production by seasonal ice cover, with presumably low sedimentation rates, carbon content and microbial activities in its sediments. Our aim was to study the so far unknown subseafloor geochemistry and microbial populations driving seafloor ecosystems. Shelf sediments had the highest organic carbon content, numbers of Bacteria and Archaea, and microcosms inoculated from Shelf sediments showed highest sulfate reduction and methane production rates. Sediments in the central deep area and on the southern slope contained less organic carbon and overall lower microbial numbers. Similar 16S rRNA gene copy numbers of Archaea and Bacteria were found for the majority of the sites investigated. Sulfate in pore water correlated with dsrA copy numbers of sulfate-reducing prokaryotes and differed between sites. No methane was found as free gas in the sediments, and mcrA copy numbers of methanogenic Archaea were low. Methanogenic and sulfate-reducing cultures were enriched on a variety of substrates including hydrocarbons. In summary, the Greenlandic shelf sediments contain vital microbial communities adapted to their specific environmental conditions.     

Under‐ice metabolism in a shallow lake in a cold and arid climate

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Experimental Evidence on Nutrient and Substrate Limitation of Baltic Sea sea-ice Algae and Bacteria

The effect of nutrient limitation on Baltic Sea ice algae, and substrate and nutrient limitation on ice bacteria, was studied in a series of in situ -experiments conducted during the winter of 2002 in northern Baltic Sea. Community level changes in algal biomass (chlorophyll a) and productivity, and bacterial thymidine and leucine incorporation were followed for one week after the addition of nutrient and/or organic carbon rich filtered seawater to the experimental units. The results showed the major contribution of snow cover to the algal responses during the beginning of the ice-covered season. Algal communities were able to grow even in January if no snow was present. Nutrient addition did occasionally have an effect on algal biomass and productivity in the ice. Surprisingly, seeding effect from the ice to the underlying water was negatively affected by the nutrient availability in March. Bacterial limitation varied between nutrient (phosphorus) and substrate limitations. The results showed, that limitation in both algal and bacterial communities changed periodically in the northern Baltic Sea ice.     

Altered Sea Ice Thickness and Permanence Affects Benthic Ecosystem Functioning in Coastal Antarctica

Antarctic sea ice and the cold waters surrounding the continent are key elements of the global climate system, influencing heat redistribution, oceanic circulation and the absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, the Southern Ocean is predicted to warm by 1–6°C over the next century, altering sea ice extent, thickness and permanence. To better understand the connections between coastal sea ice conditions and the functioning of Antarctica’s unique marine benthic ecosystems, we performed manipulative experiments on the seafloor at two southwestern Ross Sea sites with contrasting sea ice conditions. Benthic systems at both study sites were net heterotrophic during the study period (early November), with primary production most likely limited by light availability rather than nutrients. There was five times more fresh algal detrital material in benthic sediments at the site with the thinner, snow-free, annually formed sea ice, relative to the site with thicker, multiyear sea ice. This elevated quantity and quality of algal detrital matter corresponded with a significantly greater rate of sediment oxygen utilization by the benthos and an altered pathway of nitrogen regeneration (tighter coupling between nitrification and denitrification). Large benthic animals (brittle stars, Ophionotus victoriae) enhanced the efflux of dissolved inorganic nutrients from the sediment to the water column and played a greater role in nutrient regeneration at the site with more food. Although changes in sea ice characteristics in the Western Ross Sea are difficult to predict at present, large benthic organisms can be expected to have an expanded role in mediating the effects of elevated coastal productivity and detritus supply on ecosystem dynamics in this part of Antarctica.     

The vegetation and climate at the last glaciation on the emerged continental shelf of the South China Sea

Studies on the dispersal mechanism and source areas of pollen from hemipelagic sediments recovered from the continental slopes of the South China Sea (SCS) reveal that vegetation existed on the exposed shelves at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and the latter part of the Marine Isotope Stage 3. At the low sea level stand, Artemisia-dominated grassland covered the northern continental shelf and tropical lowland rainforest and mangroves grew on the southern shelf ‘Sunda Land’. Consequently, the climate in the northern SCS must have been much colder and drier during the last glacial period compared to the present. Sunda Land experienced only a marginally lower temperature but was not drier than today. The enhanced contrast between the northern and southern parts of the SCS in vegetation and climate during the LGM may be ascribed, at least partly, to the strengthening of Winter Monsoon during the last glacial period.