Fig. 4: Schematic illustration of Arctic shelf sea ice-benthic coupling under current and future conditions.
From: Year-round utilization of sea ice-associated carbon in Arctic ecosystems
a The transfer of the sea-ice carbon, signified by the diatom biomarker IP2511 through the food web via sinking sea-ice algae, results in ‘sea ice-benthic coupling’ and the subsequent ‘bottom-up’ transfer of carbon from diverse seafloor fauna into pelagic consumers, in addition to the pelagic phytoplankton bloom signified by the diatom biomarker HBI III9. b A future pelagic-dominated Arctic shelf scenario with extended open-water periods, ice-free summers and delayed blooms. The pulsative delivery of sea-ice carbon to the seafloor is removed and replaced exclusively by the transfer of pelagic carbon (as indicated by HBI III). Algal community composition has shifted, including introduction of new species and reduced biomass and abundance, as a result of these changes in the food web. Symbols courtesy of the Integration and Application Network (ian.umces.edu/media-library) licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (polar bear, humpback whale, mixed phytoplankton, pennate diatom, Gammarus amphipod, clam – Tracey Saxby; Arctogadus glacialis – Kim Kraeer, Lucy Van Essen-Fischer; diatoms – Diana Kliene, Marine Botany UQ).
