Phytoplankton productivity in newly opened waters of the Western Arctic Ocean

Phytoplankton carbon and nitrogen production in newly opened waters of the Western Arctic Ocean were measured using a 13C–15N dual isotope tracer technique in summer 2008, when Arctic sea ice was at its second lowest extent since 1979. Daily integrated carbon-uptake rates were highest (675.8±931.3 mg C m–2 d–1) in ice-free shelf regions of the Chukchi Sea. In deeper regions, the daily integrated carbon-uptake rates (73.5±45.0 mg C m–2 d–1) in...