Oceanographic profile Zooplankton biomass measurements collected using net in the Arctic Ocean from 1991 to 1995 (NODC Accession 0000970)

Mumm, Nicolai, H. Auel, H. Hanssen, W. Hagen, C. Richter, and H.J. Hirche.
1998. Breaking the ice: large-scale distribution of mesozooplankton after
a decade of Arctic and transpolar cruises. Polar Biol., 20: 189-197.

Spatial Coverage: Nansen, Amundsen, & Makarov Basins- Central Arctic Ocean

Temporal Coverage: June 16, 1993-Sept. 5, 1995

Language: English

Abstract: Mesozooplankton collected during five summer expeditions to the
Arctic Ocean between 1987 and 1991 was analysed for regional patterns in
biomass and species distribution distinguishing between an epipelagic
(0-100 m) and a deeper (0-500 m) layer. A total of 58 stations was
sampled mainly in the Nansen, Amundsen, and Makarov Basins of the central
Arctic Ocean and in areas of the Greenland Sea, West Spitsbergen Current
and Barents Sea. Results from the different expeditions were combined to
create a transect extending from the Fram Strait across the Eurasian Basin
into the Makarov Basin. Mesozooplankton dry mass in the upper 500 m
decreased from 8.4 g/m2 in the West Spitsbergen Current to less than
2 g/m2 in the high-Arctic deep-sea basins. In the central Arctic Ocean,
biomass was concentrated in the upper 100 m and ws dominated by the large
copepods Calanus hyperboreus and C. glacialis. In contrast, the
mesozooplankton in the West Spitsbergen Current was more evenly
distributed throughout the upper 500 m, with C. finmarchicus as the
prevailing species. The distribution of abundant mesopelagic species
reflected the hydrographic regime: the calanoid copepod Gaetanus
tenuispinus and the hyperiid amphipod Themisto abyssorum were most
abundant in the Atlantic inflow, while Scaphocalanus magnus was a typical
component of the high-Arctic fauna. The relatively high mesozooplankton
biomass and the occurrence of boreal-Atlantic species in the central
Arctic Ocean are indicators for the import of organic material from
allochthonous sources, especially from the northern North Atlantic.
Hence, in spite of its enclosure by land masses, the Arctic Ocean is
characterized by an exchange of water masses and organisms with the North
Atlantic, and advection processes strongly influence the distribution of
plankton species in this high-latitude ecosystem.