Distribution of Phytoplankton Community in the Arctic Ocean

Abstract

In order to investigate the structure of phytoplankton community, this study was carried out at 37 stations from July 19 to September 5, 2008 in the Bering Sea, Chukchi Sea and Canadian Basin. Phytoplankton communities were composed of 71 taxa representing Dinophyceae, Cryptophyceae, Bacillariophyceae, Chrysophyceae, Dictyochophyceae, Prasinophyceae and Prymneosiophyceae except nano-pico sized phytoplankton. Phytoplankton standing crops ranged from minimum 2.19×105cells ℓ-1 at Canadian basin(st. D84) to maximum 8.29×106cells ℓ-1 at Chukchi sea(st. R09) in the study area. The most abundant species was nano-pico sized phytoplankton in almost station, but the second was variable. Phytoplankton dominant species were Thalassiosira sp., Chaetoceros sp. and unidentified nano-pico phytoplankton such as Dinobryon belgica and Cryptomonas sp.. From western Bering Sea to Bering Strait, the biomass was higher and rich species diversity, but after through the Bering Strait it was lower and poor along latitude to the arctic. The statistical data shows that there were positive correlations between phytoplankton abundance and physical factors such as temperature and salinity(r=0.4575, p<0.01, N=37

r=5807, p<0.001, n=37 respectively).