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Author |
Brierley, A.S.; Thomas, D.N. |
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Title |
Ecology of southern ocean pack ice |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2002 |
Publication |
Advances in marine biology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Adv Mar Biol |
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43 |
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171-276 |
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Keywords |
Animals; Antarctic Regions; Birds; Crustacea; Ecology; *Ecosystem; Environment; Fishes; *Ice; *Marine Biology; Oceans and Seas; Phytoplankton; Population Dynamics; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't; Seasons; *Seawater; Water Microbiology; Whales |
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Abstract |
Around Antarctica the annual five-fold growth and decay of sea ice is the most prominent physical process and has a profound impact on marine life there. In winter the pack ice canopy extends to cover almost 20 million square kilometres--some 8% of the southern hemisphere and an area larger than the Antarctic continent itself (13.2 million square kilometres)--and is one of the largest, most dynamic ecosystems on earth. Biological activity is associated with all physical components of the sea-ice system: the sea-ice surface; the internal sea-ice matrix and brine channel system; the underside of sea ice and the waters in the vicinity of sea ice that are modified by the presence of sea ice. Microbial and microalgal communities proliferate on and within sea ice and are grazed by a wide range of proto- and macrozooplankton that inhabit the sea ice in large concentrations. Grazing organisms also exploit biogenic material released from the sea ice at ice break-up or melt. Although rates of primary production in the underlying water column are often low because of shading by sea-ice cover, sea ice itself forms a substratum that provides standing stocks of bacteria, algae and grazers significantly higher than those in ice-free areas. Decay of sea ice in summer releases particulate and dissolved organic matter to the water column, playing a major role in biogeochemical cycling as well as seeding water column phytoplankton blooms. Numerous zooplankton species graze sea-ice algae, benefiting additionally because the overlying sea-ice ceiling provides a refuge from surface predators. Sea ice is an important nursery habitat for Antarctic krill, the pivotal species in the Southern Ocean marine ecosystem. Some deep-water fish migrate to shallow depths beneath sea ice to exploit the elevated concentrations of some zooplankton there. The increased secondary production associated with pack ice and the sea-ice edge is exploited by many higher predators, with seals, seabirds and whales aggregating there. As a result, much of the Southern Ocean pelagic whaling was concentrated at the edge of the marginal ice zone. The extent and duration of sea ice fluctuate periodically under the influence of global climatic phenomena including the El Nino Southern Oscillation. Life cycles of some associated species may reflect this periodicity. With evidence for climatic warming in some regions of Antarctica, there is concern that ecosystem change may be induced by changes in sea-ice extent. The relative abundance of krill and salps appears to change interannually with sea-ice extent, and in warm years, when salps proliferate, krill are scarce and dependent predators suffer severely. Further research on the Southern Ocean sea-ice system is required, not only to further our basic understanding of the ecology, but also to provide ecosystem managers with the information necessary for the development of strategies in response to short- and medium-term environmental changes in Antarctica. Technological advances are delivering new sampling platforms such as autonomous underwater vehicles that are improving vastly our ability to sample the Antarctic under sea-ice environment. Data from such platforms will enhance greatly our understanding of the globally important Southern Ocean sea-ice ecosystem. |
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Gatty Marine Laboratory, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, UK. andrew.brierley@st-andrews.ac.uk |
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0065-2881 |
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PMID:12154613 |
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refbase @ user @ |
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317 |
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Author |
Gomez, I.; Wiencke, C.; Thomas, D.N. |

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Title |
Variations in photosynthetic characteristics of the Antarctic marine brown alga Ascoseira mirabilis in relation to thallus age and size |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
1996 |
Publication |
European Journal of Phycology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Eur J Phycol |
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31 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
167-172 |
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Keywords |
photosynthesis: thallus: carbon fixation; growth curves; algae; age; Thalli; marine flora; Ascoseira mirabilis; Antarctica |
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Abstract |
Growth, photosynthesis, dark respiration, chlorophyll a (Chl a) content and dry weight were measured in 2- and 3-year-old plants of Ascoseira mirabilis (Ascoseirales), cultivated in the laboratory under changing daylengths which matched the seasonal variations in the Antarctic. Determinations were made in four thallus regions. Growth of A. mirabilis was seasonal, with higher rates in spring. Parameters such as net photosynthesis (P sub(max)), photosynthetic efficiency ( alpha ), both measured on a fresh weight (FW) basis, and dry weight content, showed significant age- and size-dependent variations. In contrast, no variations were observed in dark respiration, initial light-saturating point of photosynthesis (I sub(k)) and Chl a contents. P sub(max) had maximum values close to 16.5 mu mol O sub(2)/g super(1) FW/h in 2-year-old plants, whereas in 3-year-old plants maximum values of 8 mu mol O sub(2)/g FW/h were determined. The alpha -values reached maximum rates of 1.4 and 0.6 mu mol O sub(2)/g FW/h/( mu mol photons/m super(2)/s) in 2- and 3-year-old plants, respectively. Light compensation point (I sub(c)), dry weight ratios and Chl a contents varied significantly along the length of the blade. Maximum dry:fresh weight ratios were observed in the basal region, with values close to 18%. Distal regions of the 3-year-old plants had significantly higher dry weight content than 2-year-old plants (17.5% and 13%, respectively). Chl a concentrations increased towards the middle regions of the thallus to values close to 0.35 mg Chl a/g FW. The results indicate that some morpho-functional processes in A. mirabilis, especially net photosynthesis and photosynthetic efficiency, are governed by age of the plant, thereby reflecting differences in biomass allocation and size. Our data also confirm the previously demonstrated relationship between growth and seasonal physiological activity that allows A. mirabilis to survive under the low light conditions prevailing in the Antarctic. |
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0967-0262 |
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growth curves; size; Thalli; marine flora; thallus |
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refbase @ admin @ Gomez++1996 |
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737 |
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Herborg, L.-M.; Thomas, D.N.; Kennedy, H.; Haas, C.; Dieckmann, G.S. |

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Title |
Dissolved carbohydrates in Antarctic sea ice |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2001 |
Publication |
Antarctic Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Antarct Sci |
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13 |
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2 |
Pages |
119-125 |
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Doc; Mcho; Pcho; sea ice; bacteria; carbon cycling; diatoms; dissolved organic carbon; monocarbohydrates; polycarbohydrates |
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Concentrations of dissolved monocarbohydrates (MCHO) and polycarbohydrates (PCHO) were analysed in a variety of ice habitats from summer Weddell Sea sea ice (surface ponds, ice cores, gap layers and platelet ice). The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool in these habitats was also measured and the contribution of carbohydrate to this pool was assessed. The DOC concentrations within all sea ice habitats were high compared to surface seawater concentrations with values up to 958µMC being measured. Total carbohydrates (TCHO) were highest in the ice cores and platelet ice samples, up to 3 1% of the DOC pool, a reflection of the high algal biomass in these two habitat classes. TCHO in the other habitats ranged between 10% and 29% of DOC. The ratios of MCHO to PCHO varied considerably between the ice habitats: in surface ponds and ice cores MCHO was 70% of the TCHO pool, whereas in gap layers and platelet ice there were lower PCHO concentrations resulting in MCHO being 88% of TCHO. |
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Call Number |
refbase @ admin @ Herborg++2001 |
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743 |
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Schnack-Schiel, S.B.; Thomas, D.N.; Haas, C.; Dieckmann, G.S.; Alheit, R. |

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Title |
The occurrence of the copepods Stephos longipes (Calanoida) and Drescheriella glacialis (Harpacticoida) in summer sea ice in the Weddell Sea, Antarctica |
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Journal Article |
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Year |
2001 |
Publication |
Antarctic Science |
Abbreviated Journal |
Antarctic Sci |
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13 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
150-157 |
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Keywords |
copepods; Drescheriella glacialis; sea ice; seasonality; Stephos longipes |
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In January to March 1997, a RV Polarstern cruise that transected the Weddell Sea resulted in samples being taken in thick pack ice in the south-eastern Weddell Sea and then along the marginal ice edge towards the Antarctic Peninsula. Several ice types were thus sampled over a wide geographic area during late summer/early autumn. Common features of the first warm period was the occurrence of surface ponds, and that many floes had quasi-continuous horizontal gaps, underlying a layer of ice and metamorphic snow. With the onset of cold air temperatures in late February the gaps rapidly refroze. The calanoid copepod Stephos longipes occurred in all habitats encountered and showed highest numbers in the surface ice in summer, in the gap water during both seasons and in the refrozen gap water in autumn. Nauplii outnumbered copepodids in the surface ice and refrozen gap water, while in the gap water copepodids, mainly stages CI-CIII in summer and CII-CIV in autumn, comprised about 70% of the total population. The harpacticoid species Drescheriella glacialis did not occur in all habitats and was missing in surface ponds and new ice. Nauplii of D. glacialis were rarely found in gapwater, but predominated in the refrozen gaps. |
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0954-1020 |
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refbase @ admin @ Schnack-Schiel++2001_2 |
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753 |
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Weykam, G.; Thomas, D.N.; Wiencke, C. |
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Title |
Growth and photosynthesis of the Antarctic red algae Palmaria decipiens (Palmariales) and Iridaea cordata (Gigartinales) during and following extended periods of darkness |
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Journal Article |
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1997 |
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Phycologia |
Abbreviated Journal |
Phycologia |
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36 |
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5 |
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395-405 |
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Winter; Polar waters; Photosynthesis; Antarctic zone; Ice cover; Seaweeds; Light effects; Plant physiology; Growth; Palmariales; Gigartinales; Iridaea cordata; Palmaria decipiens; Ps; Antarctica |
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Physiological and developmental responses during and following long-term exposure to darkness were investigated in the Antarctic red algae Palmaria decipiens and Iridaea cordata. Thalli were kept in darkness for a period of 6 mo, simulating winter sea ice cover. Subsequently, they were grown illuminated under seasonally fluctuating Antarctic daylengths. During darkness, P. decipiens, an Antarctic endemic, rapidly lost its ability to photosynthesize although chlorophyll a content remained fairly constant. The amount of floridean starch decreased gradually in the dark, with a sudden drop simultaneous with the development of new blades. After reexposure to light there was a rapid increase in photosynthetic oxygen production, whereas the rate of carbon assimilation increased more slowly, resulting in high apparent photosynthetic quotients. The increase in growth rate showed a close relation to carbon assimilation, suggesting that carbon is utilized first for growth, then for floridean starch accumulation. In contrast to P. decipiens, the photosynthetic rate of the Antarctic cold-temperate I. cordata was still about half of the initial rate after a dark period of 6 mo, i.e. the alga maintained functionality of its photosynthetic apparatus during winter. After reexposure to light there was a continuous increase in specific growth rate due to increasing photosynthetic activity. Iridaea cordata also accumulated floridean starch during summer, although in smaller amounts than P. decipiens. Together with the ability to photosynthesize, starch accumulation facilitates survival during extended dark periods in winter. The early development of blade initials and the rapid increase in photosynthetic capability after illumination may permit P. decipiens to use the period of high water transparency optimally in Antarctic spring. Iridaea cordata seems better able to survive prolonged dark periods in areas with less predictable light conditions. Both physiological patterns are well suited to the highly seasonal light conditions in Antarctica. |
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0031-8884 |
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Marine |
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refbase @ admin @ Weykam++1997 |
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767 |
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