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Denitrification activity and oxygen dynamics in Arctic sea ice

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Abstract

Denitrification and oxygen dynamics were investigated in the sea ice of Franklin Bay (70°N), Canada. These investigations were complemented with measurements of denitrification rates in sea ice from different parts of the Arctic (69°N–85°N). Potential for bacterial denitrification activity (5–194 μmol N m−2 day−1) and anammox activity (3–5 μmol N m−2 day−1) in melt water from both first-year and multi-year sea ice was found. These values correspond to 27 and 7%, respectively, of the benthic denitrification and anammox activities in Arctic sediments. Although we report only potential denitrification and anammox rates, we present several indications that active denitrification in sea ice may occur in Franklin Bay (and elsewhere): (1) despite sea ice-algal primary production in the lower sea ice layers, heterotrophic activity resulted in net oxygen consumption in the sea ice of 1–3 μmol l−1 sea ice per day at in situ light conditions, suggesting that O2 depletion may occur prior to the spring bloom. (2) The ample organic carbon (DOC) and NO3 − present in sea ice may support an active denitrification population. (3) Measurements of O2 conditions in melted sea ice cores showed very low bulk concentrations, and in some cases anoxic conditions prevailed. (4) Laboratory studies using planar optodes for measuring the high-resolution two-dimensional O2 distributions in sea ice confirmed the very dynamic and heterogeneous O2 distribution in sea ice, displaying a mosaic of microsites of high and low O2 concentrations. Brine enclosures and channels were strongly O2 depleted in actively melting sea ice, and anoxic conditions in parts of the brine system would favour anaerobic processes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank A. Haxen for analytical work. S. R., R. N. G. and M. K. S. were supported by the Danish Natural Science Research Council and by DANCEA, the Danish Cooperation for Environment in the Arctic, Danish Ministry of the Environment. This work is a contribution to the Canadian Arctic Shelf Exchange Study (CASES) and to the Zackenberg Basic and Nuuk Basic Programmes in Greenland.

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  1. Ronnie N. Glud & Henrik J. Stahl

    Present address: Scottish Association of Marine Sciences (SAMS), Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory Dunbeg, Oban Argyll, PA37 1QA, Scotland, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, Box 570, 3900, Nuuk, Greenland

    Søren Rysgaard & Martin E. Blicher

  2. Marine Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen, Strandpromenaden 5, 3000, Helsingør, Denmark

    Ronnie N. Glud & Henrik J. Stahl

  3. Department of Marine Ecology, National Environmental Research Institute, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600, Silkeborg, Denmark

    Mikael K. Sejr

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  1. Søren Rysgaard
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  2. Ronnie N. Glud
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  4. Martin E. Blicher
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Correspondence to Søren Rysgaard.

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Rysgaard, S., Glud, R.N., Sejr, M.K. et al. Denitrification activity and oxygen dynamics in Arctic sea ice. Polar Biol 31, 527–537 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0384-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-007-0384-x

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