The Ross Sea is one of the most productive regions of the Southern Ocean, accounting for 25–30% of annual Southern Ocean primary production (Moore and Abbott 2000, Arrigo et al. 1998a, Arrigo et al. 2008). Because this region is covered by sea ice for much of the year, the bulk of annual production is restricted to austral spring and to summer blooms of phytoplankton that develop at the marginal ice zone (MIZ) and within polynyas (open water surrounded by ice) along the Victoria Land Coast and north of the Ross Ice Shelf. These blooms follow a predictable spatial and temporal pattern over the season of growth. In general, a large phytoplankton bloom forms by mid- November north of the Ross Sea Ice Shelf in the central Ross Sea Polynya and …show more content…
1999, 2000). This spe- cies is also found in sea ice, but usually in relatively low numbers and mostly in association with newly formed ice near the Ross Sea polynya (Arrigo et al. 2003). Conversely, diatoms dominate the sea-ice mi- crobial community as well as waters of the MIZ and coastal polynyas where surface stratification is in- tense and MLDs are shallow (520m). The specific conditions that determine the distinct species composition of phytoplankton blooms in the southwestern Ross Sea are not well understood. The high correlation reported between species distribution and MLD suggests that diatoms are better adapted than P. antarctica to the higher irra- diance characteristics of a shallow MLD, whereas P. antarctica is better adapted to low light levels and may be inhibited at high irradiance (Arrigo et al. 2000). However, field evidence to support this contention is equivocal (Van Hilst and Smith 2002; Robinson et al. 2003). Alternative hypotheses include species-specific differences in requirements for micronutrients, differences in the composition of pre-bloom phytoplankton seed populations, and differential rates of grazing by zooplankton (Van Hilst and Smith 2002). In addition, Robinson et al. (2003) suggested that the degree of variability of the light fields produced in deeply (more variable) and shallowly mixed (less variable) water columns, rather than the
Out of all the pieces of evidence, the Evidence A (zooplankton population increase) is the most reliable. It is the most reliable because they have 6 different places the ecologists found with a zooplankton population. The different places in the Glacier Sea allow the ecologists to see many different samples. After the samples that they are
Chesterfield Inlet and Wager Bay are located in northwestern Hudson Bay within the Kivalliq Region of Nunavut (63°20'N 90°40'W and 65°08'N 87°56'W, respectively). The region is best described as continental-arctic with short cool summers and long cold winters with minimal precipitation (Dufresne, 2013). Average summer temperatures can reach up to 20ºC, while average winter temperatures range from -30ºC to -35ºC. Sea ice forms by December and breaks up by mid-June (Dufresne, 2013). However, ice in Wager Bay according to Canadian Parks Service (1977), can last longer than that of Chesterfield Inlet. The average depths encountered during the sampling program at both Wager Bay was 217 m and Chesterfield inlet was 42 m.
The occasions of Pseudo-nitzschia blooms have become more frequent recently and lead to the implementation of early detection systems by some countries. Not all the blooms caused by Pseudo-nitzschia are toxic. The populations of algae show the significant degree of variation in toxin production. It is suggested that increase in the amount of available nutrients, light, temperature and diatom-associated bacteria leads to the increased rates of DA production (Erdner et al., 2008). Recent data indicate that the blooms of toxic Pseudo-nitzschia have become stronger due to increase in the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. The gas is easily dissolved in the ocean water,
Like how seasons are the changes on land, they can also be apply to oceans in temperate latitudes. The most productive seas on the planet are the seasonal seas because they border the temperate parts of the world where conditions change throughout the year. The power of the sun is constantly changing; hence there are different seasons even under the seas due to the different in sunlight radiation. In the far north, summers are warm and gentle, while winters are wracked by savage storms. Sable Island, southeast of Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean is home to the world’s largest colony of gray seal, about 100,000 seals come to breed here each year. The climate at this location is heavily influenced by the sea and being located in the path of major frontal storms and cyclones, precipitation is high. Around March, the seas have warmed enough to trigger phytoplankton to appear. Phytoplankton is tiny algae, each smaller than a pinhead. During this time of the year, phytoplankton reproduces with an amazing speed and produces more annual growth than all the parts on land together. They
In the last few decades, various marine species of Antarctic ecosystem have been brought close to extinction because of human activities in various forms such as pollution from sewage and other contaminants, overfishing and other mixed activities and
In this paper I will examine multiple perspectives in an attempt to understand the recent eutrophication of the Chesapeake Bay. Our textbook, Cambell Biology defines eutrophication as a process in which nutrients, usually phosphorus and nitrogen, are unusually present in a body of water, leading to algae blooms and accelerated growth. Anoxia is a condition in which areas of water are severely depleted of dissolved oxygen.
Phytoplankton and Giant Kelp are two protists found in “Seasonal Seas”. Phytoplankton are the main primary producers found in the ocean. Spring is usually when phytoplankton bloom, which is known as the “spring bloom”. When too many nutrients are available, phytoplankton may grow out of control and form harmful algal blooms. Phytoplankton provide food for copepods, and they in turn are prey to jellyfish. This all contributes to the giant food web in the ocean. Phytoplankton utilize light and nutrients from the surface of the water which helps them get nutrients and live longer. Because of their dependency on the sun, they are found floating near the surface of the water. They are extremely dependent on minerals found in the ocean. The main two types of phytoplankton include the diatoms and dinoflagellates. Some of them can thrive in different conditions which means that primary consumers can get plenty of phytoplankton throughout the year. Phytoplankton also play an essential role in the
Build on historical ecological data that describes the physical, biological, and chemical variability of Kachemak Bay, a subarctic biodiversity hot spot.
0% since the 1970s. Less sea ice during the winter is likely to be the cause and may explain declines seen in several species of penguins. Krill feed on the algae found under the surface of the sea ice, which acts as a kind of ‘nursery’. The Antarctic Peninsula, a key breeding ground for the krill, has experienced a striking decrease in sea ice.
Squids and Nautiluses are also some important nektonic organism that aren’t fish because they can also swim actively and vertebrate.
The film The Sea Inside shares the heart warming real life story of a man named Ramon Sampedro. At the young age of twenty-six he suffered an accident while diving into shallow waters of the ocean that left him a quadriplegic. Now at the age of fifty-four, Ramon must depend on his family to survive. His older brother Jose, Jose’s wife, Manuela and their son Javi do their best to take care of Ramon and make him feel loved. Although Ramon is extremely grateful to his family and friends for their help all these years, he has come to see his life as aggravating and unsatisfying. He wishes to die with the little dignity he has left in his life. However, Ramon’s family is dead set against the thought of assisted suicide and the
Hestetun, Jon Thomassen. Carnivorous sponges of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. Phylogeny, taxonomy, distribution and microbial associations of the Cladorhizidae (Demospongiae, Poecilosclerida). The University of Bergen, 2016.
Global warming doesn’t just have a major impact on the arctic but Researchers have said that the disappearing glaciers and other responses from the Arctic are increasing sea temperatures and decreasing PH levels (Pederson, 2014). This ends up effecting the diversity of species, food webs and productivities in the ocean (Pedersen, 2014). Ocean acidification in the Arctic is expected to increase in the coming years, having a large effect on many species (Agnalt et al 2013). Researchers have found that to ensure the heath of ocean organisms, the ocean must maintain the right chemical balance (cheek, 2014). The most essential and affective to maintain is sustaining a higher PH level, ensuring good internal cell functioning of many organisms (Cheek,
Since early 1998, climate change has been demonstrating its effects in increasing the ocean 's temperature (West & Salm, 2003). Warm water stress corals causing the phenomenon known as coral bleaching, by which expulsion of colourful symbiotic algae the zooxanthellae, vital for
Did you know that The Arctic ocean was once called the frozen ocean. There was a long thought about no oceanic life in the arctic. Due to the cold temperatures, sheets