Particle Flux Beneath Fast Ice in the Shallow Southwestern Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean
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MARINE ECOLOGY - PROGRESS SERIES Published October 28 Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 1 Particle flux beneath fast ice in the shallow southwestern Beaufort Sea, Arctic Ocean Andrew G.Carey, Jr. College of Oceanography, Oregon State University. Corvallis. Oregon 97331, USA ABSTRACT: Flux of organic particulate materials under sea ice to the benthic environment was measured in the nearshore Arctic Ocean during spring 1980. Downward flux of organic carbon started early in the spring and continued at fairly uniform but low levels (approximately 1 % of daily carbon production of ice algae) from April until early June. Particulate organic nitrogen flux tended to be low and erratic. Fecal pellets from 2 crustacean species were among the few recognizable large particles. The amphipod Pseudalibrotus (= Onisimus) litoralis, normally a benthic species, lives in spring on the undersurface of sea ice in the shallow polar environment. Collected pellets from adults decreased through spring, while those from juveniles increased until 5 Jun when their flux declined markedly. Late in spring these pellets contained primarily pennate diatom frustules from the ice algal bloom. Crustacean molts and Mysis relicta fecal pellets were also present, particularly in April and early May. The sinking particles were derived from both the pelagic and ice environments, although most of the material appeared to be from the ice biota. Data suggest that particles falling from the productive ice community during spring are a carbon source for the benthos; one that is small but available earlier than that from phytoplanktonic or benthic microalgal production. INTRODUCTION bloom as a food source. The dominant macrofaunal amphipod in the ice community over shallow water, The ice-covered Arctic Ocean supports a restricted Pseudalibrotus (= Onisimus) litoralis, utilizes the phytoplankton growing season limited primarily by low under-ice substrate as a feeding and nursery ground; it insolation at high latitudes and the shading effect of sea migrates to the ice in early spring where it feeds and ice and snow cover (Horner 1985). Scattered data sug- releases its young. During spring 1980, P.litoralis was gest that annual primary production is low (Nemoto & 15.4 times more abundant (7719 vs, 500 Harrison 1981, Subba Rao & Platt 1984) with no spring in the lower 2 to 3 cm of ice than at the water-sediment phytoplankton bloom (Horner 1984). During the sunlit interface (Boudrias & Carey unpubl.). At ice break-up it spring when snow cover is scant or is melting, a bloom migrates to the sea floor and lives as a member of the of pennate ice diatoms develops in the lowermost lay- benthic community at depths of 10 to 20 m (Carey et al. ers of the ice before significant biological activity 1981). Analyses of the gastro-intestinal tract and func- occurs in the water column. In the Arctic the ice layer, tional morphological studies indicate that P. litoralis is in which the pennate diatoms bloom, is 2 to 3 cm thick an omnivore while in the ice environment (Carey & and is soft. The diatoms in this layer are distributed in Boudrias 1987). This lysianassid species feeds as a patches, but are vertically concentrated (Horner 1985). scavenger at the ice under-surface on macro- and Meiofaunal and macrofaunal invertebrates become meiofaunal crustaceans early in the spring and then associated with these ice algal blooms and are abun- apparently shifts its diet to ice diatoms when the spring dant during spring (Mel'nikov & Kulikov 1980, Carey & bloom of ice microalgae becomes intense. Montagna 1982, Cross 1982, Kern & Carey 1983, Carey Over shallow water on the inner continental shelf, 1985). An extended food web is based on the micro- benthic forms are the dominant members of the fast ice algae, and larval and juvenile invertebrates utilize macrofauna, while over deeper water the macrofauna the environment as a nursery ground (Carey 1985, are pelagic in origin (Carey 1985). In the food-poor Grainger et al. 1985). Conover et al. (1986) suggest that Beaufort Sea (Nemoto & Harrison 1981) the ice biotic planktonic calanoid copepods may use the ice algal community with its dense ice algal bloom and its G Inter-Research/Printed in F. R. Germany 248 Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser 40: 247-257, 1987 stabilized environment becomes an early source of 80 m (Barnes & Reimnitz 1974, Reimnitz & Barnes nutrition (Dunbar 1977, Booth 1984). It has been 1974). Continental runoff is little and very seasonal, hypothesized that in shallo~vwater much of the algal and the sedimentation rate is low. Carey et al. (1984) production melts off the ice under-surface early in the reported that the August (1976) sediment characteris- summer and falls to the bottom where the benthos can tics at the Nanvhal Island study site are 0.3 O/O gravel. utilize it as a food source (Golikov & Scarlato 1973, 85.8 % sand, 7.0 % silt, and 6.9 O/O clay with 0.08 O/O Green 1976, Alexander 1980, 1981, Horner & Schrader organic carbon by weight. The principal lunar tides are 1982). The ice meiofauna consists primarily of mixed and primarily diurnal, and their amplitude is nematodes and cyclopoid and harpacticoid copepods, small; at Point Barrow, the western boundary of the while the macrofauna is almost entirely comprised of Beaufort Sea, the total range measures 4.7 cm (Mat- gammarid amphipods (Cross 1982, Carey 1985, Boud- thews 1981). Surge motions owing to meteorological rias & Carey unpubl.). events can cause sea level changes that are 10 times The purpose of this study was to investigate the role greater than those caused by astronomical tides. of the spring cryopelagic community in the arctic Sea ice covers the entlre Beaufort Sea shelf off north- oceanic ecosystem by determining the energetic links ern Alaska for 9 to 10 mo of the year (Reimnitz et al. between the fast ice subsurface and the sea floor. As 1978). The seasonal pack ice retreats to the outer shelf detailed by such researchers as Honjo (1980) and Suess during summer, although in some years ice is continu- (1980), large particles account for a significant portion ous in the seasonal sea ice zone from the shoreline to of the downward flux of sediments and organic carbon the polar icepack in the Central Arctic Basin for all and organic nitrogen in deep oceanic environments. 12 mo. During the ice-covered months coastal ice is For this study in the shallow Beaufort Sea, large partic- anchored to the bottom in 10 to 20 m of water by multi- les were collected by traps just above the sediments year ice masses with deep keels. Bottom-fast ice occurs beneath fast sea ice to evaluate the hypothesis that several km offshore of Nanvhal Island. The seasonal falling particulate material provides an early and sig- pack ice generally extends to the shelf edge and upper nificant food source for the benthos. slope; the polar pack ice of the Arctic Basin is found beyond the continental shelf (Kovacs & Mellor 1974). Bottom currents on the inner shelf seaward of Nar- STUDY AREA whal Island are slight during the ice-covered season, particularly beneath fast ice close to the island where Research was conducted during spring 1980 at a presumably friction from the ice and the shallow sea semi-permanent study site (70'24' N, 147O31.4' W), floor slows water movement (Aagaard 1984). Records 0.4 km north of Narwhal Island in the western Beaufort taken from 2 current meters suspended over 3 wk at Sea (Fig. 1). The Alaskan Beaufort Sea continental 10 m depth in 27 m and 38 m of water beneath fast ice shelf is narrow and shallow with the shelf break at 70 to north of Nanvhal Island during 1976 demonstrate that Fig. 1. Location of the semi-permanent dive station, Sea Ice-80 (~nd~catedby dot) 70°24'N, 147"31.4'W, 0.1 km north of Narwhal Island, Alask,:, southwestern Beaufort Sr!d Carey: Particle flux beneath arctic fast ice 249 Fig. 2. (A) PVC particle trap (exploded view) illustrating component parts: 1, protective cap; 2, collecting cylinder; 3, rubber 0-ring; 4, glass-fiber filter; 5, perforated PVC filter bed; 6, base; 7, drainage valve. (B) Bottom- deployed trap array with 4 cylinders. Dis- tance between cylinders is 18.5 cm (circum- ferentially) and 31 0 cm (diagonally). Height above the bottom is 75.4 cm currents were negligible at the shallowest station dissolving, diffused through the filter base plate and (Aagaard 1984). The mean flow was calculated at the glass fiber filter bed into the bottom of the upper 0.3 cm S-' with no net motion; individual current events cylinder throughout the deployment period. (The dark- never exceeded 10 cm S-' even at the 38 m station colored sodium azide was usually detectable within the nearer the seaward edge of the fast ice. trap upon retrieval.) Eight traps, 4 on each of 2 weighted, wooden frames, were deployed by SCUBA divers 6 times from 13 Apr to MATERIAL AND METHODS 31 May 1980 (Fig. 2B). The traps were deployed on the sediment surface to the south of the dive hole in a Settled particles were collected within about 0.8 m of sector of the study site chosen to have minimal disturb- the sediment-water interface with particle traps that ance from other diving operations undertaken for the had a collection cylinder, 13.1 cm wide and 39 cm high Sea Ice-80 studies (e.g. Horner & Schrader 1982, Kern (Fig. 2A). The aspect ratio of this chamber was close to & Carey 1983, Carey & Boudrias 1987). At deployment the 3: 1 configuration that has been considered best for the cylinders contained Millipore-filtered seawater and minimizing resuspension by water turbulence (Bloesch were capped to minimize contamination (Fig.