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Composition of algal pigments in surface freshen layer after ice melt in the central Arctic

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Abstract

Seasonal meltwater input creates a thin freshen layer in surface seawater under ice, which largely shifts the algae assemblages. Our recent observation of photosynthetic pigments in the high Arctic showed that ice bottom and 5 m of seawater under ice contained relatively high concentration of fucoxanthin, while chlorophyll b and lutein were the major diagnostic pigments in ice-water interface and 0 m of seawater under ice. Additionally, a notable change of dominant phytoplankton occurred in the top 5 m of seawater under ice, from chlorophytes-dominated at surface to diatoms-dominated at 5 m depth, which might attribute to the sharp salinity gradient (salinity from 12.5 to 28.1) in the surface seawater under ice. Our results imply that phytoplankton community in surface layer under ice would become more chlorophytes in the future warming Arctic Ocean.

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Acknowledgements

The authors appreciate all crews of the R/V Xuelong icebreaker during the 6 th Chinese National Arctic Expedition for their kind help. Thanks are also given to Lin Ling from the Polar Research Institute of China for the help with the field work and Ren Jian from the Second Institute of Oceanography of SOA for critical comments on English manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Marine Ecosystem and Biogeochemistry, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Yanpei Zhuang, Haiyan Jin, Fan Gu, Yang Zhang, Youcheng Bai, Zhongqiang Ji, Yong Lu & Jianfang Chen

  2. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Haiyan Jin & Jianfang Chen

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  1. Yanpei Zhuang
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  2. Haiyan Jin
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  3. Fan Gu
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  4. Yang Zhang
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  5. Youcheng Bai
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  6. Zhongqiang Ji
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  7. Yong Lu
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  8. Jianfang Chen
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Correspondence to Haiyan Jin.

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Foundation item: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41276198 and 41506222; Chinese Polar Environment Comprehensive Investigation & Assessment Programs under contract Nos Chinare-03-04 and Chinare-04-03; Scientific Research Fund of Second Institute of Oceanography, SOA under contract No. JG1323.

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Zhuang, Y., Jin, H., Gu, F. et al. Composition of algal pigments in surface freshen layer after ice melt in the central Arctic. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 36, 122–130 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-017-1024-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-017-1024-0

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