Zooplankton in changing Arctic seas: Examples from West Greenland ecosystems

Abstract

With reduced sea ice cover, increased melt water discharge and pelagic primary production the transfer to higher trophic levels through zooplankton will change; e.g. species composition, phenology and productivity of the zooplankton community may be altered. In this presentation, we use dataset from coastal waters of west Greenland to discuss the impact of melting ice (glacial and sea ice) and primary productivity on the zooplankton community. Data from Disko Bay (69.23°N, 52.52°W) sampled with high temporal resolution during spring blooms in the period 1996 to 2012 are used to evaluate phenology and species changes within the dominant zooplankton genus Calanus on a decadal scale. Further north along the Greenland west coast the arctic species Calanus hyperboreus dominate, and we use distribution data (from 71-76°N) to discuss how difference in ice cover/glacial impact influence their productivity and phenology, and how this may impact higher trophic levels exemplified by the dominant avian predator Little Auk (Alle alle)