Sea-ice algae: Major contributors to primary production and algal biomass in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas during May/June 2002

Sea-ice and water samples were collected at 14 stations on the shelves and slope regions of the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas during the spring 2002 expedition as part of the Shelf–Basin Interaction Studies. Algal pigment content, particulate organic carbon and nitrogen, and primary productivity were estimated for both habitats based on ice cores, brine collection and water samples from 5-m depth. The pigment content (0.2–304.3 mg pigments m−2) and primary productivity (0.1–23.0 mg C m−3 h−1) of the sea-ice algae significantly exceeded water-column parameters (0.2 and 1.0 mg pigments m−3; <0.1–0.4 mg C m−3 h−1), making sea ice the habitat with the highest food availability for herbivores in early spring in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas. Stable isotope signatures for ice and water samples did not differ significantly for δ15N, but for δ13C (ice: −25.1‰ to −14.2‰; water: −26.1‰ to −22.4‰). The analysis of nutrient concentrations and the pulse-amplitude-modulated fluorescence signal of ice algae and phytoplankton indicate that nutrients were the prime limiting factor for sea-ice algal productivity. The estimated spring primary production of about 1–2 g C m−2 of sea-ice algae on the shelves requires the use of substantial nutrient reservoirs from the water column.