Contrasting zooplankton communities (Arctic vs. Atlantic) in the European Arctic Marginal Ice Zone
2008
Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk
Relationships between the zooplankton community and various environmental factors (salinity, temperature, sampling depth and bottom depth) were established in the European Arctic Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) using multivariate statistics. Three main zooplankton communities were identified: an Atlantic Shallow Community (AtSC), an Arctic Shallow Community (ArSC) and a Deep Water Community (DWC). All species belonging to AtSC and ArSC were pooled and their relative abundances in the total zooplankton calculated with respect to a particular layer (surface, mid and deep strata), regions (the Barents Sea, Fram Strait and the waters off northern Svalbard), years (1999 or 2003) and seasons (spring or autumn). Mapping of the proportions of Arctic and Atlantic species led to the conclusion that zooplankton from the MIZs do not exactly follow complementary water masses, although the general pattern of AtSC and ArSC dominance accords with the physical oceanography of the study area (AtW and ArW respectively). The mid layer proved to be a better predictor of mesozooplankton distribution than the unstable conditions near the surface.
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