Being Productive in the Arctic Ocean

Where is the Arctic Ocean? The Artic Ocean is also knowns as the ____________ _____________? NorthPole

Some facts Smallest of the worlds oceans (14 million km 2 ) Widest continental shelf (750 miles) Covered almost entirely with ice for 8 months a year  not easily explored 3 distinct biological communities – Sea Ice Realm – Pelagic Realm – Benthic Realm

Sea Ice Realm Includes plants/animals that live on and just under the ice Only 50% melts in summer Sea ice is not solid—has network of tunnels (brine channels) Inhabited by: diatoms, algae, bacteria, viruses, and fungi

Pelagic Realm Organisms that live between the ocean surface and the bottom Algae grow rapidly here during summer (sun shines 24 hrs a day) Lots of zooplankton (floating animals) –c–crustaceans and jellyfish Fishes, squids, seals, whales

Benthic Realm The ocean bottom Dead organisms settle here as detritus Energy source for: – Sponges, bivalves (oysters), crustaceans (lobsters, barnacles), polychaete worms, sea anemones, bryozoans, tunicates and ascidians (sea squirts) bryozoan Sea squirt

Research Very little research has been done on the sea ice, pelagic, and benthic realms in the deepest parts of the Arctic.

Primary Productivity What is it? The transfer of chemical or solar energy to biomass What’s this process called? Photosynthesis! Algae bloom. June, 2006, Ireland

Photosynthesis and Limiting Factors How does it work? Water + carbon dioxide + light = sugar + oxygen What’s the formula? Can you write it out? 6H 2 O + 6CO 2 + light energy = C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 What else is required? Photosynthetic plants (chlorophyll) – In the Arctic Ocean, most photosynthesis takes place in phytoplankton (microscopic floating algae) Plant material, light, and nutrients can limit the amount of photosynthesis We don’t know which of them limit PP in the Arctic…

Algae are the base All three realms ( sea ice, pelagic, benthic) are coupled. Algae are the base of the food chain for this entire environment Photosynthesis can be limited. What are those limiting factors? – Plant material, light, and nutrients Arctic ice algae You will be examining 10 different data sets taken at 10 different times in the year.

The meaning of each set of cards Ice Cover: describes the percent of sea surface that is covered with ice PAR: amount of photosynthesis active radiation (sunlight that is usable for photosynthesis) available as a percentage of the maximum radiation that occurs during the year. Chlorophyll a: amount of chlorophyll a (which is a measure of the amount of photosynthetically-capable plant material present) in the surface of the seawater. Nitrate: the amount of nitrogen-containing nutrients present Primary Productivity: the amount of organic matter that has been produced through photosynthesis at the sea surface.

The Data and Your Interpretation 1.Each group will read aloud to the class their data for Day 1. Everyone else needs to to record this data. 2.Within your group, discuss the results 3.As a class, we will discuss results 4.Repeat steps 1-3 for the next 4 days 5.For days 6-10, after collecting data from the class, you will write down your OWN interpretation of the data WITHOUT sharing 6.Discuss ALL the results as a class 7.Each student write down individual summaries of factors that limit primary productivity in the Arctic Ocean.