MODEL OF PHYTOPLANKTON PRODUCTION IN THE MARGINAL SEA-ICE ZONE OF THE BARENTS SEA.

Abstract

This study takes the physical conditions in some of the ice-covered areas of the Barents Sea as an input to a plankton model. Simulations with different combinations of vertical turbulence and ice cover indicate that the ice concentration is important in shallow areas with strong tidal mixing, whereas that the ice concentration is important in shallow areas with strong tidal mixing, whereas the date of the start of melting of the ice and the resulting stabilization of the water column are more important in deeper parts of the Arctic waters. Study of the model results shows that the following mechanism could be responsible for the elevated biomass: turbulent Atlantic water, relatively rich in nutrients, stabilizes when meeting the ice or brackish water from the melting process and allows a high growth rate as soon as there is enough light early in the spring.