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Phytoplankton dynamics in a changing Arctic Ocean

Nature Climate Change volume 10, pages 892–903 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

Changes in the Arctic atmosphere, cryosphere and Ocean are drastically altering the dynamics of phytoplankton, the base of marine ecosystems. This Review addresses four major complementary questions of ongoing Arctic Ocean changes and associated impacts on phytoplankton productivity, phenology and assemblage composition. We highlight trends in primary production over the last two decades while considering how multiple environmental drivers shape Arctic biogeography. Further, we consider changes to Arctic phenology by borealization and hidden under-ice blooms, and how the diversity of phytoplankton assemblages might evolve in a novel Arctic ‘biogeochemical landscape’. It is critical to understand these aspects of changing Arctic phytoplankton dynamics as they exert pressure on marine Arctic ecosystems in addition to direct effects from rapid environmental changes.

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Fig. 1: Changing sea-ice extent and age.
Fig. 2: Global trends in Arctic primary production over the two last decades.
Fig. 3: Environmental drivers shaping Arctic phytoplankton dynamics.
Fig. 4: Synthesis of selected observed regional environmental changes in the Arctic Ocean.
Fig. 5: Changing Arctic sea-ice algae and phytoplankton phenology with the receding sea-ice cover.
Fig. 6: Major phytoplankton taxa and its environmental drivers in the Arctic Ocean.

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Acknowledgements

M.A. was supported by a European Union’s Horizon 2020 Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant (no. 746748). This work represents a contribution to the Sorbonne Université and Stanford University. We thank M. Gosselin, M. Poulin and E. Leu for sharing their expertize on phytoplankton ecology and taxonomy; M. Nicolaus and W. Meier for sharing their expertize on sea-ice; and L. Oziel and the whole Arrigo’s laboratory for insightful comments on the Review.

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  1. Department of Earth System Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    Mathieu Ardyna & Kevin Robert Arrigo

  2. Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire d’Océanographie de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France

    Mathieu Ardyna

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M.A. and K.R.A. conceptualized and wrote the manuscript together.

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Ardyna, M., Arrigo, K.R. Phytoplankton dynamics in a changing Arctic Ocean. Nat. Clim. Chang. 10, 892–903 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0905-y

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