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Sea-ice algae in Arctic pack ice during late winter

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Abstract

Pack ice around Svalbard was sampled during the expedition ARK XIX/1 of RV “Polarstern” (March–April 2003) in order to determine environmental conditions, species composition and abundances of sea-ice algae and heterotrophic protists during late winter. As compared to other seasons, species diversity of algae (total 40 taxa) was not low, but abundances (5,000–448,000 cells l−1) were lower by one to two orders of magnitude. Layers of high algal abundances were observed both at the bottom and in the ice interior. Inorganic nutrient concentrations (NO2, NO3, PO4, Si(OH)4) within the ice were mostly higher than during other seasons, and enriched compared to seawater by enrichment indices of 1.6–24.6 (corrected for losses through the desalination process). Thus, the survival of algae in Arctic pack ice was not limited by nutrients at the beginning of the productive season. Based on less-detailed physical data, light was considered as the most probable factor controlling the onset of the spring ice-algal bloom in the lower part of the ice, while low temperatures and salinities inhibit algal growth in the upper part of the ice at the end of the winter. Incorporation of ice algae probably took place during the entire freezing period. Possible overwintering strategies during the dark period, such as facultative heterotrophy, energy reserves, and resting spores are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The support of the captain, the crew and the chief scientists of the RV “Polarstern” expedition ARK XIX/1 is gratefully acknowledged. All ice studies would have been impossible without the helpful cooperation of many colleagues from the ice working groups and numerous “polar bear watchers”. We thank A. Scheltz and R. Kiko for help in the field and H. Johannsen for conducting the nutrient measurements. K. Meiners and K. Bischof are acknowledged for constructive discussions and J. Schwarz for language corrections. The manuscript benefited substantially by the constructive comments made by three referees and the editor.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Polar Ecology, Wischhofstr, 1–3, Geb. 12, 24148, Kiel, Germany

    Iris Werner & Henrike Schünemann

  2. Biosciences and Environment Research Unit, The Academy of Finland, P.O. Box 99, 00501, Helsinki, Finland

    Johanna Ikävalko

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Werner, I., Ikävalko, J. & Schünemann, H. Sea-ice algae in Arctic pack ice during late winter. Polar Biol 30, 1493–1504 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0310-2

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