University of Tasmania
Browse

File(s) not publicly available

Preliminary investigation of the contribution of fast-ice algae to the spring phytoplankton bloom in Ellis Fjord, eastern Antarctica

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-16, 10:05 authored by Andrew McMinnAndrew McMinn
Algae released from fast-ice in Ellis Fjord, eastern Antarctica, made little contribution to subsequent phytoplankton growth. Dominant taxa in the interior ice community included Nitzschia cylindrus (Grun) Hasle, Navicula glaciei V.H. and a dinoflagellate cyst. Diatom mortality within the ice was high. The algal contribution to the phytoplankton from the fast ice was estimated by calculating the difference between algal biomass in ice cores taken on 14 November with those taken on 18 December 1992. The biomass of sedimenting phytoplankton was estimated using sediment traps; weekly cell counts of water were used to monitor net phytoplankton growth. The low contribution from the fast-ice of Ellis Fjord to the phytoplankton is similar to results from other Antarctic fast-ice communities but is not necessarily reflective of processes occurring within either Antarctic or Arctic pack ice communities. An algal mat growing on the base of the fast-ice had a carbon standing crop of between 0.231 gCm-2 and 0.022 gCm-2. Much of this was delivered to the water column as the ice melted while the remainder was exported.

History

Publication title

Polar Biology

Volume

16

Issue

4

Pagination

301-307

ISSN

0722-4060

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Springer-Verlag

Place of publication

Berlin, Germany

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Natural hazards not elsewhere classified

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC