Links between ocean properties, ice cover, and plankton dynamics on interannual time scales in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

Abstract

[1] A decade of instrumented mooring data from Barrow Strait in the eastern Canadian Arctic Archipelago reveals connections between sea ice, water characteristics, and zooplankton dynamics on interannual time scales. On the North side of the Strait, the timing of breakup is positively related to the timing of freezeup in the previous year and negatively related to spring water temperature. This suggests that an early freezeup insulates the ocean from a cold autumn atmosphere, allowing heat to be retained until spring when it contributes to early sea ice erosion. There is also a very strong negative association between the timing of freezeup and late summer salinity, suggesting that monitoring of salinity in real time could be used to predict freezeup. A zooplankton biomass index derived from acoustic Doppler current profiler echo intensity data is used to demonstrate that on the North side there are also strong connections between early summer water temperature and the start, length, and productivity of the zooplankton growth season. On the South side of the Strait where currents are stronger, the relationships seen on the North side were not observed. But here integrated zooplankton biomass index and measured currents are used to identify interannual variability in the zooplankton biomass being delivered downstream into Lancaster Sound. Also on the South side, two yearlong records of daily fluorescence profiles reveal a large difference in the phytoplankton biomass being delivered downstream between years and demonstrate a strong relationship between the timing of the spring phytoplankton bloom and that of breakup.Citation: Hamilton, J. M., K. Collins, and S. J. Prinsenberg (2013), Links between ocean properties, ice cover, and plankton dynamics on interannual time scales in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago,

Wintertime water dynamics and moonlight disruption of the acoustic backscatter diurnal signal in an ice‐covered Northeast Greenland fjord

“…However, sound scattering by zooplankton is more complex compared to that by sediment particles [Stanton et al, 1994]. Nevertheless, the acoustic backscatter has been found to be correlated to zooplankton biomass [Flagg and Smith, 1989;Brierley et al, 1998;Fielding et al, 2004;Berge et al, 2009;Hamilton et al, 2013;Bozzano et al, 2014]. It was noted, however, that ADCPs, unlike echo-sounders, are limited in deriving accurate quantitative estimates of biomass due to calibration difficulties because their acoustic beams are narrow and are inclined to the vertical [Sato et al, 2013;Vestheim et al, 2014;Brierley et al, 1998].…”

A high-resolution ocean and sea-ice modelling system for the Arctic and North Atlantic oceans

“…This database includes measurements from ship-based surveys, moorings and the drifting profilers of the ARGO network. Hamilton et al, 2013) and Fram Strait (e.g., Schauer et al, 2008). Measurement errors are negligible (typically ±0.01 • C for temperature and ±0.01 for salinity; e.g., Talley et al, 2011).…”

Spatial and temporal distribution of planktonic protists in the East Greenland fjord and offshore waters

“…Satellite data are also limited to the ocean surface, and as such are unable to measure sub-surface processes, species dynamics, and the dynamics of light absorption for biomass conversion. Furthermore, satellite data is only valid during ice-free and cloud-free conditions (Hamilton et al 2013). The lack of baseline information in Arctic marine biology is likely preventing the identification of more subtle but widespread climate-related changes.…”