Environmental control of Arctic marine zooplankton near a large archipelago during the summer season

Abstract

In order to assess the impact of environmental conditions on marine zooplankton, we conducted a survey around Novaya Zemlya (NZ), a large archipelago located within the Arctic Ocean, during the summertime of 2022. Observations were made by employing net hauls that spanned the entire water column. Through the use of cluster analysis, we ascertained the existence of two unique assemblages inhabiting the Barents and Kara seas. The highest zooplankton abundance, biomass, and diversity were observed at the intersection of the warm Atlantic Water and the comparatively colder Barents Sea Water along the western coast of NZ. Copepods were the predominant species within the zooplankton population in both regions, registering similar numbers, while other groups were noticeably more numerous in the Barents Sea. The distribution of different plankton groups predominantly correlated with the current systems encircling NZ. The inshore waters proximate to the eastern segment of NZ were influenced by the presence of cold currents, while the western part was subjected to the effects of warmer currents. A strong association was observed between zooplankton and microbial variables, such as the abundance and biomass of prokaryoto- and virioplankton. Redundancy analysis indicated close interactions within the plankton ecosystems of the region. These findings may be valuable for assessing the potential impacts of recent climatic perturbations in the Arctic and establishing a baseline for studying Arctic plankton communities in coastal ecosystems.