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Phytoplankton productivity and its response to higher light levels in the Canada Basin

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Abstract

Phytoplankton productivity in the Canada Basin was measured in the late summer season, from mid-September to mid-October 2009, using a 13C–15N dual tracer technique. To understand potential production changes associated with sea ice melting in the Arctic Ocean, we examined the effects of light enhancement and nitrate enrichment on the carbon productivity of phytoplankton from the chlorophyll a maximum layer. The daily carbon productivity in the Canada Basin in 2009 was very low, with a mean of 4.1 mg C m−2 (SD = 3.6 mg C m−2), compared with those reported in previous studies in the region. Among several explanations, the most plausible reason for the large difference in carbon productivity between this and the previous studies was strong seasonal variation in biomass and photosynthetic rate of the phytoplankton in the study region. Based on our results from light enhancement and nitrate enrichment experiments, we found that carbon productivity of phytoplankton in the chlorophyll a maximum layer could be stimulated by increased light condition rather than nitrate addition. Thus, potentially increasing light availability from current and ongoing decreases in the sea ice cover could increase the carbon production of the phytoplankton in the chlorophyll a maximum layer and produce a well-developed maximum layer at a deeper depth in the Canada Basin.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the captain and crew of the CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent for their outstanding assistance during the cruise. We also thank Dr. Kazutaka Tateyama for providing the sea ice data. We very much appreciate the constructive comments by three anonymous reviewers, which greatly improved the earlier version of the manuscript. This research was supported by grants from the Polar Academic Program (PAP) and the Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI; PM10040).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Polar Research Institute, Songdo Techno Park, 7-50, Songdo-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, 406-840, Korea

    Mi Sun Yun, Kyung Ho Chung & Hyoung Min Joo

  2. Institute of Ocean Sciences, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, BC, V8L 4B2, Canada

    Sarah Zimmermann

  3. Ocean University of China, 238 Songling Road, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Jinping Zhao

  4. Department of Marine Science, Pusan National University, 30, Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, 609-735, Korea

    Sang H. Lee

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  1. Mi Sun Yun
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Correspondence to Sang H. Lee.

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Yun, M.S., Chung, K.H., Zimmermann, S. et al. Phytoplankton productivity and its response to higher light levels in the Canada Basin. Polar Biol 35, 257–268 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-1070-6

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