Spatial and temporal variability in sea ice and primary production dynamics of the Arctic Ocean

Biological production starts with photosynthesis, energy from the sun captured by plants and converted to carbohydrates. In the oceans, microscopic algae make up most of this production, they are the primary producers. With the extreme seasonality of the physical environment of the Arctic, particularly the light regime, this production has very strong seasonality. In seasonally ice-covered regions this production also falls into two characteristic modes: 1) a unique ice algae production by algae beneath s ea ice, and 2) a pelagic phytoplankton production, caused by algae drifting in the water masses. We have recently modelled and documented how the timing of these productions is related to sea ice phenology, and how the timing of the ice algae component an d the pelagic component is related to each other. This work is a result of a pilot collaborative effort between the Norwegian and US Scientists, and it has already led to a well-rated publication in the respected journal Global Change Biology. Here we pro pose to expand our initial effort by taking on investigations needed for a more complete understanding of Arctic primary production. Along with this, we will develop full scale research proposals on the topic. Specifically we propose to: 1) analyse the ch aracteristic scales of the timing variability in Arctic primary production, 2) continue the analyses of how the timing of primary production varies with latitude, 3) analyse how inter-annual variability in timing varies for different regions, and 4) analy se the consequence of predicted changes in timing for the biogeochemical cycling of Arctic marine ecosystems. We provide and use a Pan-Arctic modelling platform, but for this pre-project we will focus the analyses along transects from the Bering Sea (Alas kan side) and the Barents Sea (Svalbard Side) towards the North Pole.