Consequences of changing sea-ice cover for primary and secondary producers in the European Arctic shelf seas: Timing, quantity, and quality

The Arctic ice cover poses severe limitations on the productive period of marine autotrophs that form the base of the marine food web. Sea-ice algae begin to grow in early spring within and underneath the ice, producing a substantial biomass despite very low light intensities. Pelagic algal blooms, in contrast, normally occur after ice breakup, at high latitudes as late as July–September. The timing of these blooms is crucial for the quantity...