Jae Hyung Lee

In-situ measured primary productivity of ice algae in Arctic sea ice floes using a new incubation method

Recent changes in climate and environmental conditions have had great negative effects such as decreasing sea ice thickness and the extent of Arctic sea ice floes that support ice-related organisms. However, limited field observations hinder the understanding of the impacts of the current changes in the previously ice-covered regions on sea ice algae and other ice-related ecosystems. Our main objective in this study was to measure recent primary production of ice algae and their relative contribution to total primary production (ice plus pelagic primary production). In-situ primary productivity experiments with a new incubation system for ice algae were conducted in 3 sea ice cores at 2 different ice camps in the northern Chukchi Sea, 2014, using a 13C and 15N isotope tracer technique. A new incubation system was tested for conducting primary productivity experiments on ice algae that has several advantages over previous incubation methods, enabling stable carbon and nitrogen uptake experiments on ice algae under more natural environmental conditions. The vertical C-shaped distributions of the ice algal chl-a, with elevated concentrations at the top and bottom of the sea ice were observed in all cores, which is unusual for Arctic sea ice. The mean chl-a concentration (0.05 ± 0.03 mg chl-a m−3) and the daily carbon uptake rates (ranging from 0.55 to 2.23 mg C m−2 d−1) for the ice algae were much lower in this study than in previous studies in the Arctic Ocean. This is likely because of the late sampling periods and thus the substantial melting occurring. Ice algae contributed 1.5–5.7% of the total particulate organic carbon (POC) contents of the combined euphotic water columns and sea ice floes. In comparison, ice algae contributed 4.8–8.6% to the total primary production which is greater than previously reported in the Arctic Ocean. If all of the ice-associated productions were included, the contributions of the sea ice floes to the total primary production would be greater in the Arctic Ocean and their importance would be greater in the arctic marine ecosystems.

Demersally drifting invertebrates from Kongsfjorden, Svalbård (Arctic Ocean)–a comparison of catches from drift-pump and drift-nets

Demersally drifting organisms were collected at Ny Ålesund (Svalbård–Arctic Ocean) to study the taxon composition and relative abundances in the Arctic summer. Catch potentials of two collection devices for demersal drift were compared. A lowvolume submersible drift-pump and a drift-net unit were employed for the collection of demersally drifting biota, particularly for shallow aquatic habitats. With the exception of Appendicularia, Chaetognatha, Coelenterata, and Ctenophora, which were damaged at times, the pump catches were in good condition and sufficient for identification and quantification of less mobile fauna. A comparison of the two devices revealed that the drift-pump collected more specimens than the drift-net. However, the drift-net may have caused an underestimation of the abundances of invertebrates. No differences in identified taxon number and indices of richness, evenness and diversity were found. However, the proportion of invertebrate animals in the two devices was different for the three groups: zooplankton, macrofauna and meiofauna. At Svalbård, zooplankton, larvae of macrofauna, and meiofauna were successfully collected by the two collecting devices. However, the catchibility of the two devices in collecting various invertebrate taxa was different and, therefore, a sound ‘Device Effect’ was revealed.

Potential overestimation in primary and new productions of phytoplankton from a short time incubation method

A short (4–5 hour) incubation method for a 13C-15N dual isotope tracer technique has been widely applied for the measurements of daily primary and new productions of phytoplankton. However, there has been no research conducted to determine if there are any differences in the estimated daily productions between short incubation periods and 24 hour incubations. Based on hourly uptake rates estimated from a 4 hour incubation at a coastal site in the East/Japan Sea, the daily carbon and nitrogen uptake rates of total phytoplankton were approximately 60% overestimated compared to those derived from a 24 hour incubation. Especially for large phytoplankton, the daily carbon uptake rates based on the 4 hour incubation were greatly overestimated (> 200%). In contrast, the daily rates of small phytoplankton were not significantly different between the two different incubations. This is mainly because the daily carbon and nitrogen uptake rates of large phytoplankton were significantly correlated with light intensity. Consequently, the contributions of small phytoplankton were underestimated whereas large phytoplankton contributions were overestimated in daily carbon and nitrogen uptake rates based on a 4 hour incubation. Further investigations into these potential overestimations in daily carbon and nitrogen uptake rates of phytoplankton, especially for large size cells, will be needed to be carried out in order to obtain better estimations of annual primary and new productions.

Decoupling of Macromolecular Compositions of Particulate Organic Matters between the Water Columns and the Sediment in Geoje-Hansan Bay, South Korea

The biochemical composition of particulate organic matter (POM) is very important to understand in relation to the trophic conditions of marine ecosystems since it forms the primary trophic base. The present study investigated the biochemical compositions (i.e., carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids) of POM monthly from January to December 2015 in Geoje-Hansan Bay to determine if the macromolecular composition of POM is coupled between the water columns and sediment. A spatial difference in the macromolecular compositions was observed in the water columns between the inner and outer bays, which may be caused by the different physiological conditions of phytoplankton growth that are due to the water circulation pattern in the bay. In contrast, no distinctive spatial difference in the macromolecular compositions was found in the sedimentary organic matter. Overall, while carbohydrates were the dominant (45.7%) macromolecules of the POM in the water columns, proteins were dominant (47.9%) in the sedimentary organic matter during our observation period. Decoupling of the macromolecular compositions between the water columns and underneath the sediment in Geoje-Hansan Bay appears to be a result of the various effects of selective filter feeding by oysters and protein-dominant benthic microalgae and fouling organisms.

In-situ Measured Carbon and Nitrogen Uptake Rates of Melt Pond Algae in the Western Arctic Ocean, 2014

Although the areal coverage of melt pond in the Arctic Ocean has recently increased, very few biological researches have been conducted. The objectives in this study were to ascertain the uptake rates of carbon and nitrogen in various melt ponds and to understand the major controlling factors for the rates. We obtained 22 melt pond samples at ice camp 1 (146.17°W, 77.38°N) and 11 melt pond samples at ice camp 2 (169.79°W, 76.52°N). The major nutrient concentrations varied largely among melt ponds at the ice camps 1 and 2. The chl-a concentrations averaged from the melt ponds at camps 1 and 2 were 0.02–0.56 mg chl-a m-3 (0.12 ± 0.12 mg chl-a m-3) and 0.08–0.30 mg chl-a m-3 (0.16 ± 0.08 mg chl-a m-3), respectively. The hourly carbon uptake rates at camps 1 and 2 were 0.001–0.080 mg C m-3 h-1 (0.025 ± 0.024 mg C m-3 h-1) and 0.022–0.210 mg C m-3 h-1 (0.077 ± 0.006 mg C m-3 h-1), respectively. In comparison, the nitrogen uptake rates at camps 1 and 2 were 0.001–0.030 mg N m-3 h-1 (0.011 ± 0.010 mg N m-3 h-1) and 0.002–0.022 mg N m-3 h-1 (0.010 ± 0.006 mg N m-3 h-1), respectively. The values obtained in this study are significantly lower than those reported previously. A large portion of algal biomass trapped in the new forming surface ice in melt ponds appears to be one of the main potential reasons for the lower chl-a concentration and subsequently lower carbon and nitrogen uptake rates revealed in this study. A long-term monitoring program on melt ponds is needed to understand the response of the Arctic marine ecosystem to ongoing environmental changes.

First in situ estimations of small phytoplankton carbon and nitrogen uptake rates in the Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas

Carbon and nitrogen uptake rates by small phytoplankton (0.7–5 μm) in the Kara, Laptev, and East Siberian seas in the Arctic Ocean were quantified using in situ isotope labeling experiments; this research, which was novel and part of the NABOS (Nansen and Amundsen Basins Observational System) program, took place from 21 August to 22 September 2013. The depth-integrated carbon (C), nitrate (NO−3 ), and ammonium (NH + 4 ) uptake rates by small phytoplankton ranged from 0.54 to 15.96 mg C m−2 h−1, 0.05 to 1.02 mg C m−2 h−1, and 0.11 to 3.73 mg N m−2 h−1, respectively. The contributions of small phytoplankton towards the total C, NO−3 , and NH + 4 varied from 25 % to 89 %, 31 % to 89 %, and 28 % to 91 %, respectively. The turnover times for NO−3 and NH + 4 by small phytoplankton found in the present study indicate the longer residence times (years) of the nutrients in the deeper waters, particularly for NO−3 . Additionally, the relatively higher C and N uptake rates by small phytoplankton obtained in the present study from locations with less sea ice concentration indicate the possibility that small phytoplankton thrive under the retreat of sea ice as a result of warming conditions. The high contributions of small phytoplankton to the total C and N uptake rates suggest the capability of small autotrophs to withstand the adverse hydrographic conditions introduced by climate change.