BIOLOGIYA MORYA, 2015, Vol. 41, No. 4, pp. 225-238 |
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Zooplankton in the areas of polynyas forming in the seas of the Arctic Ocean Murmansk Marine Biological Institute, Kola Scientific Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, Murmansk 183010 E-mail: The published and authors’ own data on distribution, composition, biomass, production, and life cycles of zooplankton organisms in the areas of potential formation of Arctic polynyas are discussed in the article. In many cases, there is a lack of materials for the periods when polynyas actually exist (e.g. winter or early spring), and thus, the available data for the summer and fall seasons are analyzed. The copepods Oithona similis, Calanus hyperboreus, C. glacialis, C. finmarchicus, Metridia longa, Triconia borealis, Pseudocalanus spp., and Microcalanus pygmaeus dominate most of the areas in terms of abundance and biomass. Some specific estuarine communities, dominated by Limnocalanus macrurus, Pseudocalanus major, and Drepanopus bungei, are formed in waters intensely freshened by river runoff. Common species develop in polynyas faster than in adjacent waters, covered by ice. In summer, the mean total zooplankton biomass in the areas of polynyas vary from 0.3 (Barrow Strait) to 9.3 gC/m2 (Lena Polynya). The maximum values of zooplankton secondary production are typical for coastal and estuarine zones. The mean daily zooplankton production during the summer season rarely exceeds 50 mgC/(m2 day). Key words: polynya, zooplankton, Arctic Ocean, biomass. |
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