New observations of late summer bio-physical ice and snow conditions in the northwestern Weddell Sea

Summer sea ice extent in the Weddell Sea has increased overall during the last four decades, with large interannual variations. However, the underlying causes and the related ice and snow properties are still poorly known. Here we present results of the interdisciplinary Weddell Sea Ice (WedIce) project carried out in the northwestern Weddell Sea on board the German icebreaker R/V Polarstern in February and March 2019, i.e. at the end of the summer ablation period. This is the region of the thickest, oldest ice in the Weddell Sea, at the outflow of the Weddell Gyre. Measurements included airborne ice thickness surveys and in-situ snow and ice sampling of mostly second- and third year ice. Preliminary results show mean ice thicknesses between 2.6 and 5.4 m, increasing from the Antarctic Sound towards the Larsen B region. The ice had mostly positive ice freeboard. Mean snow thicknesses ranged between 0.05 and 0.46 m. Snow was well below the melting temperature on most days and was highly metamorphic and icy, with melt-freeze forms as dominant snow type. In addition, as a result of the summer’s thaw, an average of 0.14 m of superimposed ice was found in all ice cores drilled during the cruise. Although there was rotten ice below a solid, ca. 30 cm thick surface ice layer, pronounced gap layers typical for late summer ice in the marginal ice zone were rare, and algal biomass was patchily distributed within individual sea ice cores. Overall, there was a strong gradient of increasing ice algal biomass from the Larsen B to the Antarctic Sound region. The presented results show that sea ice conditions in the northwestern Weddell Sea are still severe and have not changed significantly since the last observations carried out in 2004 and 2006. The presence of relatively thin, icy snow has strong implications for the ice and snow mass balance, for freshwater oceanography, and for the application of remote sensing methods. Overall sea ice properties strongly affect the biological productivity of this region and limit carbon fluxes to the seafloor in the northwestern Weddell Sea

Insight into protist diversity in Arctic sea ice and melt-pond aggregate obtained by pyrosequencing

Protists in the central Arctic Ocean are adapted to the harsh environmental conditions of its various habitats. During the Polarstern cruise ARK-XXVI/3 in 2011, at one sea-ice station, large aggregates accumulated at the bottom of the melt ponds. In this study, the protist assemblages of the bottom layer of the sea-ice and melt-pond aggregate were investigated using flow cytometry and 454-pyrosequencing. The objective is to provide a first molecular overview of protist biodiversity in these habitats and to consider the overlaps and/or differences in the community compositions. Results of flow cytometry pointed to a cell size distribution that was dominated by 3–10 µm nanoflagellates. The phylogenetic classification of all sequences was conducted at a high taxonomic level, while a selection of abundant (≥1% of total reads) sequences was further classified at a lower level. At a high taxonomic level, both habitats showed very similar community structures, dominated by chrysophytes and chlorophytes. At a lower taxonomic level, dissimilarities in the diversity of both groups were encountered in the abundant biosphere. While sea-ice chlorophytes and chrysophytes were dominated by Chlamydomonas/Chloromonas spp. and Ochromonas spp., the melt-pond aggregate was dominated by Carteria sp., Ochromonas spp. and Dinobryon faculiferum. We suppose that the similarities in richness and community structure are a consequence of melt-pond freshwater seeping through porous sea ice in late summer. Differences in the abundant biosphere nevertheless indicate that environmental conditions in both habitats vary enough to select for different dominant species

Molecular analyses of gut contents: elucidating the feeding of co-occurring salps in the Lazarev Sea from a different perspective

The diet of Antarctic salps was elucidated by investigating their gut content using “Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis” and 454-pyrosequencing. Salp samples were collected during the Lazarev Krill Study in the Western Weddell Sea (summer 2005/06 and 2007/08, fall 2004, and winter 2006). Two salp species, Salpa thompsoni and Ihlea racovitzai, both occur in the Southern Ocean, can overlap geographically and seasonally. Here we provide evidence that despite the non-selective feeding mechanism, the two co-occuring salp species might have different niches within one given habitat. ARISA-patterns of 93 salp gut content samples revealed strong differences between the two salp species, even at the same sampling site. These differences were confirmed by 454-pyrosequencing of the V4-18S rDNA of ten salps. The pyrosequencing data indicate that flagellates, in particular dinophyceae constitute a high proportion of the sequence reads identified in the gut content of both salp species. However, within the dinophyceae differences in the read composition were detected between the two salp species. This supports the findings of a previous study where fatty acid signatures indicate a flagellate based diet of salps, even though microscopic analyses identified diatoms as the dominant component of salp gut contents

Interactions between the ice algae Fragillariopsis cylindrus and microplastics in sea ice

High concentrations of microplastics have been found in sea ice but the mechanisms by which they get captured into the ice and which role ice algae might play in this process remain unknown. Similarly, we do not know how the presence of microplastics might impact the colonization of sea ice by ice algae. To estimate the ecological impact of microplastics for Polar ecosystems, it is essential to understand their behaviour during ice formation and possible interactions with organisms inhabiting sea ice. In this study we tested the interaction between the ice algae Fragillariopsis cylindrus and microplastic beads with and without sea ice present and, in a third experiment, during the process of ice formation. With sea ice present, we found significantly less algae cells in the ice when incubated together with microplastics compared to the incubation without microplastics. However, during ice formation, the presence of microplastics did not impact the colonisation of the ice by F. cylindrus cells. Further, we observed a strong correlation between salinity and the relative amount of beads in the water and ice. With increasing salinity of the water, the relative amount of beads in the water decreased significantly. At the same time, the relative amount of beads in the ice increased significantly with increasing ice salinity. Both processes were not influenced by the presence of F. cylindrus. Also, we found indications that the presence of algae can affect the amount of microplastic beads sticking to the container walls. This could indicate that EPS produced by ice algae plays a significant role in surface binding properties of microplastics. Overall, our results highlight that the interactions between algae and microplastics have an influence on the uptake of microplastics into sea ice with possible implications for the sea ice food web

Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) : science plan

The Arctic is undergoing rapid transformations that have brought the Arctic Ocean to the top of international political agendas. Predicting future conditions of the Arctic Ocean system requires scientific knowledge of its present status as well as a process-based understanding of the mechanisms of change. The Arctic in Rapid Transition (ART) initiative is an integrative, international, interdisciplinary pan-Arctic program to study changes and feedbacks among the physical and biogeochemical components of the Arctic Ocean and their ultimate impacts on biological productivity. The goal of ART is to develop priorities for Arctic marine science over the next decade. Three overarching questions form the basis of the ART science plan: (1) How were past transitions in sea ice connected to energy flows, elemental cycling, biological diversity and productivity, and how do these compare to present and projected shifts? (2) How will biogeochemical cycling respond to transitions in terrestrial, gateway and shelf-to-basin fluxes? (3) How do Arctic Ocean organisms and ecosystems respond to environmental transitions including temperature, stratification, ice conditions, and pH? The integrated approach developed to answer the ART key scientific questions comprises: (a) process studies and observations to reveal mechanisms, (b) the establishment of links to existing monitoring programs, (c) the evaluation of geological records to extend time-series, and (d) the improvement of our modeling capabilities of climate-induced transitions. In order to develop an implementation plan for the ART initiative, an international and interdisciplinary workshop is currently planned to take place in Winnipeg, Canada in October 2010

Compositional differences of fluorescence dissolved organic matter in Arctic Ocean drift sea ice and surface waters north of Svalbard in spring.

We assessed the qualitative composition of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in Arctic Ocean surface water and in sea ice north of the Svalbard Archipelago (in the Sophia Basin, the Yermak Plateau and the north Spitsbergen shelf) in May and June 2015, during the “TRANSSIZ” expedition (Transitions in the Arctic Seasonal Sea Ice Zone). Samples collected in open lead waters (OW), under-ice waters (UIW) and from the sea ice (ICE) were analyzed by fluorescence spectroscopy and subsequently by multivariate statistical methods using Parallel Factor Analysis (PARAFAC). Statistical analyses of all measured DOM fluorescence excitation and emission matrices (EEMs) enabled four components to be identified and validated. The spectral characteristics of the first component C1 (λEx/λEm 282(270)/335) corresponded to those of tryptophan. The spectral properties of the other three components corresponded to those of humic-like substances: components two (C2 − λEx/λEm 315(252)/395) and three (C3 − λEx/λEm 357(258)/446) corresponded to humic-like substances of marine origin, whereas component four (C4 − λEx/λEm 261(399)/492) resembled terrestrial humic-like substances. Changes in FDOM composition were recorded in OW, in contrast to UIW and sea ice. In the OW the sum of fluorescence intensities of humic-like components (C2, C3 and C4) was two times higher than the fluorescence intensity of protein-like component (C1). Component C2 exhibited the highest fluorescence intensity. In the UIW and particularly in the sea ice the fluorescence intensity of the protein-like component, IC1, was the highest. The IC1 in the sea ice increased toward the sea ice bottom, reaching maximum values at the sea ice-water interface. The calculated spectral indices (SUVA(254) and HIX) and ratios of fluorescence intensities of protein-like to humic-like components, Ip/Ih, suggested that FDOM in water and sea ice was predominantly autochthonous, characterized by low molecular weight organic compounds and low aromatic ring saturation. Enrichment factors Dc, calculated from salinity-normalized values of the optical DOM properties and dissolved organic carbon concentrations, indicated the significant fractionation of FDOM in the sea ice relative to the parent open waters. The humic-like terrestrial component C4 was enriched the least, whereas the protein-like component C1 was enriched the most. A statistically significant (p < 0.0001) and relatively strong (R = 63) correlation between IC1 and the total chlorophyll a concentration Tchla was found in the sea ice, which suggests that sympagic algal communities were producers of the protein-like FDOM fraction