Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic Ocean

Northwards flowing Atlantic waters transport heat, nutrients, and organic carbon in the form of zooplankton into the eastern Greenland Sea and Fram Strait. Less is known of the contribution of phytoplankton advection in this current, the Atlantic Water Inflow (AWI) spanning from the North Atlantic t...

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Main Authors: Maria Vernet, Ingrid H. Ellingsen, Lena Seuthe, Dag Slagstad, Mattias R. Cape, Patricia A. Matrai
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2019-09-01
Series:Frontiers in Marine Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00583/full
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author Maria Vernet
Ingrid H. Ellingsen
Lena Seuthe
Dag Slagstad
Mattias R. Cape
Patricia A. Matrai
author_facet Maria Vernet
Ingrid H. Ellingsen
Lena Seuthe
Dag Slagstad
Mattias R. Cape
Patricia A. Matrai
author_sort Maria Vernet
collection DOAJ
description Northwards flowing Atlantic waters transport heat, nutrients, and organic carbon in the form of zooplankton into the eastern Greenland Sea and Fram Strait. Less is known of the contribution of phytoplankton advection in this current, the Atlantic Water Inflow (AWI) spanning from the North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean. The in situ and advected primary production was estimated using the physical-biological coupled SINMOD model over a region bounded by northern Norway coast (along the Norwegian Atlantic Current, NAC), the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) and the entrance to the Arctic Ocean in northern Fram Strait. The simulation results show that changes in phytoplankton biomass at any one location along the AWI are supported primarily by advection. This advection is 5–50 times higher than the biomass photosynthesized in situ, seasonally variable, with minimum contribution in June, at the time of maximum in situ primary production. Advection in the NAC transports phytoplankton biomass from areas of higher production in the south, contributing to the maintenance of phytoplankton productivity further north. In situ productivity further decreases north of Svalbard Archipelago, at the entrance to the Arctic Ocean. Excess in situ annual production in northern WSC is exported to the Arctic Ocean during the growth season (April to September). The balance between in situ and advected primary production defines three main regions along the AWI, presumably modulated by the spatial and temporal variability of copepod grazing. As the sea ice reduces its annual extent and warmer waters enter the Arctic Ocean, ecological characteristics of the ice-free WSC with its AWI signature could extend north and east of Svalbard and into the central Arctic. Advection thus constitutes an important link connecting marine ecosystems of the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, mainly at the gateways.
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spelling doaj.art-caf379b67ed947c48226d59b25ec34a42022-12-21T23:53:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Marine Science2296-77452019-09-01610.3389/fmars.2019.00583439818Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic OceanMaria Vernet0Ingrid H. Ellingsen1Lena Seuthe2Dag Slagstad3Mattias R. Cape4Patricia A. Matrai5Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Integrative Oceanography Division, La Jolla, CA, United StatesSINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, NorwayDepartment of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, NorwaySINTEF Ocean, Trondheim, NorwaySchool of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United StatesBigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, United StatesNorthwards flowing Atlantic waters transport heat, nutrients, and organic carbon in the form of zooplankton into the eastern Greenland Sea and Fram Strait. Less is known of the contribution of phytoplankton advection in this current, the Atlantic Water Inflow (AWI) spanning from the North Atlantic to the Arctic Ocean. The in situ and advected primary production was estimated using the physical-biological coupled SINMOD model over a region bounded by northern Norway coast (along the Norwegian Atlantic Current, NAC), the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) and the entrance to the Arctic Ocean in northern Fram Strait. The simulation results show that changes in phytoplankton biomass at any one location along the AWI are supported primarily by advection. This advection is 5–50 times higher than the biomass photosynthesized in situ, seasonally variable, with minimum contribution in June, at the time of maximum in situ primary production. Advection in the NAC transports phytoplankton biomass from areas of higher production in the south, contributing to the maintenance of phytoplankton productivity further north. In situ productivity further decreases north of Svalbard Archipelago, at the entrance to the Arctic Ocean. Excess in situ annual production in northern WSC is exported to the Arctic Ocean during the growth season (April to September). The balance between in situ and advected primary production defines three main regions along the AWI, presumably modulated by the spatial and temporal variability of copepod grazing. As the sea ice reduces its annual extent and warmer waters enter the Arctic Ocean, ecological characteristics of the ice-free WSC with its AWI signature could extend north and east of Svalbard and into the central Arctic. Advection thus constitutes an important link connecting marine ecosystems of the Arctic and Atlantic Ocean, mainly at the gateways.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00583/fulladvectionphytoplanktoncarbonAtlantic water inflowArctic OceanFram Strait
spellingShingle Maria Vernet
Ingrid H. Ellingsen
Lena Seuthe
Dag Slagstad
Mattias R. Cape
Patricia A. Matrai
Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic Ocean
Frontiers in Marine Science
advection
phytoplankton
carbon
Atlantic water inflow
Arctic Ocean
Fram Strait
title Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic Ocean
title_full Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic Ocean
title_fullStr Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic Ocean
title_full_unstemmed Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic Ocean
title_short Influence of Phytoplankton Advection on the Productivity Along the Atlantic Water Inflow to the Arctic Ocean
title_sort influence of phytoplankton advection on the productivity along the atlantic water inflow to the arctic ocean
topic advection
phytoplankton
carbon
Atlantic water inflow
Arctic Ocean
Fram Strait
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fmars.2019.00583/full
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