Abstract
One of the most notable effects of climate change is the decrease in sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. This is expected to affect the distribution of phytoplankton as the ice retreats earlier. We were interested in the vertical and horizontal distribution of phytoplankton in the Chukchi Sea in May. Measurements were made with an airborne profiling lidar that allowed us to cover large areas. The lidar profiles showed a uniform distribution of attenuation and scattering from the surface to the limit of lidar penetration at a depth of about 30 m. Both parameters were greater in open water than under the ice. Depolarization of the lidar decreased as attenuation and scattering increased. A cluster analysis of the 2019 data revealed four distinct clusters based on depolarization and lidar ratio. One cluster was associated with open water, one with pack ice, one with the waters along the land-fast ice, and one that appeared to be scattered throughout the region. The first three were likely the result of different assemblages of phytoplankton, while the last may have been an artifact of thin fog in the atmosphere.
Highlights
One of the most obvious effects of climate change is the rapidly decreasing sea ice cover in the Arctic Ocean
The results of this study suggest that airborne lidar can be very useful for measurements of the spring bloom in the Arctic Ocean
In both cases, scattering and attenuation of the lidar were greater in open water than under the ice
Summary
Arctic sea ice is getting thinner, with an average reduction of 1.75 m between 1980 and 2009 [5] This decline in thickness means that ice is drifting faster [6]. The first detailed report was of a massive bloom in the Chukchi Sea in July of 2011 [13], apparently fed by upwelling at the shelf break [14]. The area of these summer blooms seems to be increasing at a rate of about 2% per year [15]. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
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