Assessment of response of lower trophic level marine organisms to the environmental changes in the Chukchi Sea

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15H06902
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Environmental dynamic analysis
• Research Institution: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology
• Principal Investigator: FUJIWARA Amane 国立研究開発法人海洋研究開発機構, 北極環境変動総合研究センター, 技術研究員 (00756489)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-08-28 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 植物プランクトン / 衛星観測 / 北極海 / 環境変動

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I focused on the influences of recent sea ice loss and climate change reported for the Arctic Ocean on marine ecosystem, especially for the oceanic phytoplankton and its consumers, such as zooplankton and benthic organisms. Phytoplankton immediately responds to the in-water environmental changes induced by atmospheric turbulence increasing its biomass in autumn. Zooplankton also responds to and grazes increased phytoplankton as its energy source. I also assessed the effect of interannual variability of primary production on benthic community in the "biological hotspot" site in the Arctic Ocean. I suggest that recent increase in the length of open-water period enhances annual primary production, and the pulsed production supports benthic community sinking efficiently to the sea floor.

Free Research Field

衛星海洋学