High density of ice krill (Euphausia crystallorophias) in the Amundsen sea coastal polynya, Antarctica

Abstract

High densities of ice krill Euphausia crystallorophias were observed along six acoustic transects within the Amundsen Sea Coastal Polynya, Antarctica. Two-frequency acoustic backscatter data was examined in the austral summers of January 2011 and February 2012. A dB identification window (Sv120−38) identified ice krill dominating the acoustic backscatter. The density of ice krill, calculated with the stochastic distorted-wave born approximation model, ranged between 4.5 and 30g wet mass m−2 for each transect (a mean of 16g wet mass m−2 for all transects), these high values are an order of magnitude higher than recorded previously in the Ross Sea Polynya. High densities were detected along the ice shelf and near the boundary between pack ice and coastal polynya, and we postulate that these could be important habitats for ice krill. The high densities observed along the transects make ice krill a potentially important, but poorly known contributor to these high-latitude shelf food webs.