SEA ICE RETREAT ALTERS THE BIOGEOGRAPHY OF THE BERING SEA CONTINENTAL SHELF

2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 309-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Franz J. Mueter ◽  
Michael A. Litzow
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat ◽  
The Bering Sea

Ecosystem response to a temporary sea ice retreat in the Bering Sea: Winter 2009

2013 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 38-51 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer L. Miksis-Olds ◽  
Phyllis J. Stabeno ◽  
Jeffery M. Napp ◽  
Alexei I. Pinchuk ◽  
Jeffrey A. Nystuen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Ecosystem Response ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat ◽  
The Bering Sea

scholarly journals On the freshening of the northwestern Weddell Sea continental shelf

Ocean Science ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. H. Hellmer ◽  
O. Huhn ◽  
D. Gomis ◽  
R. Timmermann
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
Weddell Sea ◽  
Central Basin ◽  
Thermal Front ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Ice Shelves ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Reduced Salt ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat

Abstract. We analyzed hydrographic data from the northwestern Weddell Sea continental shelf of the three austral winters 1989, 1997, and 2006 and two summers following the last winter cruise. During summer a thermal front exists at ~64° S separating cold southern waters from warm northern waters that have similar characteristics as the deep waters of the central basin of the Bransfield Strait. In winter, the whole continental shelf exhibits southern characteristics with high Neon (Ne) concentrations, indicating a significant input of glacial melt water. The comparison of the winter data from the shallow shelf off the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, spanning a period of 17 yr, shows a salinity decrease of 0.09 for the whole water column, which has a residence time of <1 yr. We interpret this freshening as being caused by a combination of reduced salt input due to a southward sea ice retreat and higher precipitation during the late 20th century on the western Weddell Sea continental shelf. However, less salinification might also result from a delicate interplay between enhanced salt input due to sea ice formation in coastal areas formerly occupied by Larsen A and B ice shelves and increased Larsen C ice loss.

scholarly journals Role of physical processes in formation of spring phytoplankton bloom in the Bering Sea

Trudy VNIRO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 181 ◽  
pp. 206-222
Author(s):  
K.K. Kivva ◽  
◽  
J.V. Selivanova ◽  
M.N. Pisareva ◽  
A.A. Sumkina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bering Sea ◽  
Phytoplankton Bloom ◽  
Physical Processes ◽  
Spring Phytoplankton Bloom ◽  
Eastern Bering Sea ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Shelf Region ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat ◽  
Bering Sea Shelf ◽  
The Bering Sea

The main part of the annual primary production in the Arctic and Subarctic zones of the World Ocean is formed during the spring phytoplankton bloom. The timing of the bloom depends on combination of physical factors. Oscillating control hypothesis, proposed in [Hunt et al., 2002] for the Eastern Bering Sea, describes annual peculiarities of ecosystem development related to conditions of the spring phytoplankton bloom. We review propositions of this hypothesis on the reasons of phytoplankton bloom and its connection with physical processes for four local regions of the Bering Sea shelf. The regions include western, northern and south-eastern parts of the shelf. The analysis is based on ocean color and microwave remotely sensed data as well as on atmospheric reanalysis. The results allow for hypothesis improvement. An early phytoplankton bloom may be present in the surface layer in April or May along the eastern Bering Sea shelf even in situations of early sea ice retreat (e. g. February-March) or absence of ice during winter. However, such combinations were not observed in the western Bering Sea shelf region. In 1998–2018, early ice retreat in the western shelf region was always accompanied by relatively late phytoplankton bloom. The temporal lag between sea ice retreat and phytoplankton bloom may be substantial in some years along the southernmost position of the ice edge. On the other hand, the spring bloom in the northern part of the shelf usually follows the ice retreat. In case of early ice retreat, the timing of the bloom is determined not only by wind conditions, but also by heat balance at the surface of the sea. The results are proposed to be used in further analysis of ecosystem dynamics of the western Bering Sea shelf.

Timing of spring sea-ice retreat and summer seabird-prey associations in the northern Bering Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 181-182 ◽  
pp. 104898 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bungo Nishizawa ◽  
Nodoka Yamada ◽  
Haruka Hayashi ◽  
Charlie Wright ◽  
Kathy Kuletz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Northern Bering Sea ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Spring Sea Ice ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat

scholarly journals Timing of ice retreat alters seabird abundances and distributions in the southeast Bering Sea

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 20160276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Renner ◽  
Sigrid Salo ◽  
Lisa B. Eisner ◽  
Patrick H. Ressler ◽  
Carol Ladd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Clear Trend ◽  
Seabird Species ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Shelf Slope ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Spring Sea Ice ◽  
Calanus Marshallae ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat

Timing of spring sea-ice retreat shapes the southeast Bering Sea food web. We compared summer seabird densities and average bathymetry depth distributions between years with early (typically warm) and late (typically cold) ice retreat. Averaged over all seabird species, densities in early-ice-retreat-years were 10.1% (95% CI: 1.1–47.9%) of that in late-ice-retreat-years. In early-ice-retreat-years, surface-foraging species had increased numbers over the middle shelf (50–150 m) and reduced numbers over the shelf slope (200–500 m). Pursuit-diving seabirds showed a less clear trend. Euphausiids and the copepod Calanus marshallae/glacialis were 2.4 and 18.1 times less abundant in early-ice-retreat-years, respectively, whereas age-0 walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus near-surface densities were 51× higher in early-ice-retreat-years. Our results suggest a mechanistic understanding of how present and future changes in sea-ice-retreat timing may affect top predators like seabirds in the southeastern Bering Sea.

scholarly journals Timing of sea-ice retreat affects the distribution of seabirds and their prey in the southeastern Bering Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 593 ◽  
pp. 209-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
GL Hunt ◽  
M Renner ◽  
KJ Kuletz ◽  
S Salo ◽  
L Eisner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Ice Retreat ◽  
Sea Ice Retreat

scholarly journals Contrasting trends in sea ice and primary production in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (7) ◽  
pp. 1180-1193 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary W. Brown ◽  
Kevin R. Arrigo
Keyword(s):  
Sea Ice ◽  
Primary Production ◽  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
Bering Sea ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Ice Cover ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Light Limitation ◽  
The Bering Sea

Abstract Brown, Z. W., and Arrigo, K. R. 2012. Contrasting trends in sea ice and primary production in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: . Satellite remote sensing data were used to examine recent trends in sea-ice cover and net primary productivity (NPP) in the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. In nearly all regions, diminished sea-ice cover significantly enhanced annual NPP, indicating that light-limitation predominates across the seasonally ice-covered waters of the northern hemisphere. However, long-term trends have not been uniform spatially. The seasonal ice pack of the Bering Sea has remained consistent over time, partially because of winter winds that have continued to carry frigid Arctic air southwards over the past six decades. Hence, apart from the “Arctic-like” Chirikov Basin (where sea-ice loss has driven a 30% increase in NPP), no secular trends are evident in Bering Sea NPP, which averaged 288 ± 26 Tg C year−1 over the satellite ocean colour record (1998–2009). Conversely, sea-ice cover in the Arctic Ocean has plummeted, extending the open-water growing season by 45 d in just 12 years, and promoting a 20% increase in NPP (range 441–585 Tg C year−1). Future sea-ice loss will likely stimulate additional NPP over the productive Bering Sea shelves, potentially reducing nutrient flux to the downstream western Arctic Ocean.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document