Recent Arctic Ocean sea ice loss triggers novel fall phytoplankton blooms

Recent receding of the ice pack allows more sunlight to penetrate into the Arctic Ocean, enhancing productivity of a single annual phytoplankton bloom. Increasing river runoff may, however, enhance the yet pronounced upper ocean stratification and prevent any significant wind‐driven vertical mixing...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geophysical research letters 2014-09, Vol.41 (17), p.6207-6212
Main Authors: Ardyna, Mathieu, Babin, Marcel, Gosselin, Michel, Devred, Emmanuel, Rainville, Luc, Tremblay, Jean-Éric
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ablation
Algae
Annual
Arctic
Arctic ice
Arctic Ocean
Arctic regions
Blooms
climate change
Density stratification
Ecosystems
Global warming
Ice
Marine
Marine ecosystems
Mineral nutrients
Nutrients
Ocean circulation
Ocean currents
Oceans
Phenology
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton bloom
phytoplankton phenology
Plankton
Primary production
River discharge
River flow
River runoff
Runoff
Sea ice
Sea surface
Storms
Stratification
Stresses
Sunlight
Temperature (air-sea)
Upper ocean
Vertical mixing
Wind
Wind stress
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Summary:Recent receding of the ice pack allows more sunlight to penetrate into the Arctic Ocean, enhancing productivity of a single annual phytoplankton bloom. Increasing river runoff may, however, enhance the yet pronounced upper ocean stratification and prevent any significant wind‐driven vertical mixing and upward supply of nutrients, counteracting the additional light available to phytoplankton. Vertical mixing of the upper ocean is the key process that will determine the fate of marine Arctic ecosystems. Here we reveal an unexpected consequence of the Arctic ice loss: regions are now developing a second bloom in the fall, which coincides with delayed freezeup and increased exposure of the sea surface to wind stress. This implies that wind‐driven vertical mixing during fall is indeed significant, at least enough to promote further primary production. The Arctic Ocean seems to be experiencing a fundamental shift from a polar to a temperate mode, which is likely to alter the marine ecosystem. Key Points The Arctic phytoplankton phenology is shifting from a polar to a temperate modeFall blooms coincide with delayed freezeup and increasing role of stormsIntensity and frequency of fall storms increased over the last decade
ISSN:0094-8276
1944-8007
DOI:10.1002/2014GL061047