Climate change induced shifts in sea ice algae nutrient content: species, community and trophic implications.

Climate change is the major threat affecting Arctic ecosystems, with trends toward increased sea surface temperatures and declining sea ice noted over the past three decades (NOAA, 2018). Sea ice microalgae form an important part of the Arctic food web, contributing up to 50% of primary production in Arctic ecosystems (Gosselin et al., 1997). As primary producers they are a principle source of nutrients and energy, in the form of macromolecules, for higher trophic levels in the marine ecosystem. Understanding how climate change-induced shifts in ocean temperature, chemistry and ice thickness will impact the nutrient content of sea ice microalgae is key to understanding the broader ecosystem effects of climate change. This project consists of three parts (i) a field based study within Svalbard to obtain samples of natural communities of Arctic sea ice microalgae, (ii) a laboratory study, using FTIR microspectroscopy, to investigate mixed community and single cell nutritional values and how these values change when exposed to different environmental conditions, (iii) a modelling component to determine how changes to the nutrient content of sea ice algae species would affect nutrient transfer through the marine system. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) (2018). Arctic Report Card: Update for 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card/Report-Card-2018 Gosselin, M., Levasseur, M., Wheeler, P.A., Horner, R.A., Booth, B.C. (1997). New measurements of phytoplankton and ice algal production in the Arctic Ocean. Deep-Sea Research II.