The Barents and Chukchi Seas: Comparison of two Arctic shelf ecosystems

This paper compares and contrasts the ecosystems of the Barents and Chukchi Seas. Despite their similarity in a number of features, the Barents Sea supports a vast biomass of commercially important fish, but the Chukchi does not. Here we examine a number of aspects of these two seas to ascertain how they are similar and how they differ. We then indentify processes and mechanisms that may be responsible for their similarities and differences.Both the Barents and Chukchi Seas are high latitude, seasonally ice covered, Arctic shelf-seas. Both have strongly advective regimes, and receive water from the south. Water entering the Barents comes from the deep, ice-free and "warm" Norwegian Sea, and contains not only heat, but also a rich supply of zooplankton that supports larval fish in spring. In contrast, Bering Sea water entering the Chukchi in spring and early summer is cold. In spring, this Bering Sea water is depleted of large, lipid-rich zooplankton, thus likely resulting in a relatively low availability of zooplankton for fish. Although primary production on average is similar in the two seas, fish biomass density is an order of magnitude greater in the Barents than in the Chukchi Sea. The Barents Sea supports immense fisheries, whereas the Chukchi Sea does not. The density of cetaceans in the Barents Sea is about double that in the Chukchi Sea, as is the density of nesting seabirds, whereas, the density of pinnipeds in the Chukchi is about double that in the Barents Sea. In the Chukchi Sea, export of carbon to the benthos and benthic biomass may be greater. We hypothesize that the difference in fish abundance in the two seas is driven by differences in the heat and plankton advected into them, and the amount of primary production consumed in the upper water column. However, we suggest that the critical difference between the Chukchi and Barents Seas is the pre-cooled water entering the Chukchi Sea from the south. This cold water, and the winter mixing of the Chukchi Sea as it becomes ice covered, result in water temperatures below the physiological limits of the commercially valuable fish that thrive in the southeastern Bering Sea. If climate change warms the Barents Sea, thereby increasing the open water area via reducing ice cover, productivity at most trophic levels is likely to increase. In the Chukchi, warming should also reduce sea ice cover, permitting a longer production season. However, the shallow northern Bering and Chukchi Seas are expected to continue to be ice-covered in winter, so water there will continue to be cold in winter and spring, and is likely to continue to be a barrier to the movement of temperate fish into the Chukchi Sea. Thus, it is unlikely that large populations of boreal fish species will become established in this Arctic marginal sea. © 2012 Elsevier B.V

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 59, May/June 2010

Cleaning oiled seabirds: Highly overrated (Michelle Paleczny). Better baselines: Workshop highlights role of historical ecology in ocean policy (Jennifer Jacquet). The UN experience (Sarika Cullis-Suzuki).Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 11, May/June 2002

The Sea Around Us Project: July 2001 to April 2002 (Daniel Pauly). The Sea Around Us Project runs a successful marine symposium at AAAS (Reg Watson). The Sea Around Us project in hot water (Dirk Zeller and Elizabeth Mohammed).Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 49, September/October 2008

Japan's fisheries and the whales - not (Daniel Pauly). Power in diversity: Bringing people together and putting ideas out (Megan Bailey and Rashid Sumaila).Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 64, March/April 2011

Atlantic cod: Past and present (Ashley McCrea Strub and Daniel Pauly). Daniel sails through his 65th onboard the Eloquent (M.L. Deng Palomares).Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 68, November/December 2011

On the use of catch reconstructions out there (Frederic Le Manach). The Sea Around Us project wins UBC award (Dirk Zeller, Ar'ash Tavakolie and Daniel Pauly). Sea Around Us 2011 publications : Articles in refereed journals ; Books and reports.Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 75, January/February 2013

EU Common Fisheries Policy reform, from the inside (Frédéric Le Manach). Coastal transects: a tool for marine biology & fisheries visualization (Daniel Pauly). Marine how-protected areas? (Lisa Boonzaier). Daniel Pauly receives Honorary Doctorate (José L. Sánchez Lizaso).Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 5, July/August 2000

An Intern's-eye view of the Sea Around Us Project (Emilie LeBlond). Progress Reports from the Sea Around Us team (Dirk Zeller, Sylvie Guénette). Large Marine Ecosystems (Daniel Pauly and Reg Watson).Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 60, July/August 2010

Mi Querida Argentina (My Beloved Argentina) (Lucas Brotz). Has BP "made it right"? (Jennifer Jacquet). Reconstructing the catches of Mauritius (Léa Boistol, Sarah Harper, Shawn Booth and Dirk Zeller). 2010 publications, January-August.Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat

Sea Around Us project newsletter, issue 1, November/December 1999

"Sea-ing Around Us". The 'Pew Project' is Underway (Nancy Baron). Welcome to the Sea Around Us Project! (Notes from the Editor).Science, Faculty ofOceans and Fisheries, Institute for theUnreviewedFacultyResearcherGraduat