Long-term patterns of benthic irradiance and kelp production in the central Beaufort sea reveal implications of warming for Arctic inner shelves

Abstract

This study synthesizes a multidecadal dataset of annual growth of the Arctic endemic kelp Laminaria solidungula and corresponding measurements of in situ benthic irradiance from Stefansson Sound in the central Beaufort Sea. We incorporate long-term data on sea ice concentration (National Sea Ice Data Center) and wind (National Weather Service) to assess how ice extent and summer wind dynamics affect the benthic light environment and annual kelp production. We find evidence of significant changes in sea ice extent in Stefansson Sound, with an extension of the ice-free season by approximately 17 days since 1979. Although kelp elongation at 5–7 m depths varies significantly among sites and years (3.8–49.8 cm yr−1), there is no evidence for increased production with either earlier ice break-up or a longer summer ice-free period. This is explained by very low light transmittance to the benthos during the summer season (mean daily percent surface irradiance ± SD: 1.7 ± 3.6 to 4.5 ± 6.6, depending on depth, with light attenuation values ranging from 0.5 to 0.8 m−1), resulting in minimal potential for kelp production on most days. Additionally, on month-long timescales (35 days) in the ice-free summer, benthic light levels are negatively related to wind speed. The frequent, wind-driven resuspension of sediments following ice break-up significantly reduce light to the seabed, effectively nullifying the benefits of an increased ice-free season on annual kelp growth. Instead, benthic light and primary production may depend substantially on the 1–3 week period surrounding ice break-up when intermediate sea ice concentrations reduce wind-driven sediment resuspension. These results suggest that both benthic and water column primary production along the inner shelf of Arctic marginal seas may decrease, not increase, with reductions in sea ice extent.