Will the declining sea ice extent in the Arctic cause a reversal of net benthic-pelagic exchange directions?

Rühl, Saskia; Thompson, Charlotte E.L.; Queirós, Ana M.; Hopkins, Joanne E. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1504-3671; Henley, Sian F.; Widdicombe, Stephen. 2025 Will the declining sea ice extent in the Arctic cause a reversal of net benthic-pelagic exchange directions? Journal of Marine Systems, 249, 104067. 1, pp. 10.1016/j.jmarsys.2025.104067

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Official URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2025.104067

Abstract/Summary

In the Arctic, loss of sea ice due to climate change and the northward shift of the Polar Front are predicted to affect many ecosystem processes such as the ecologically important process of particulate and dissolved matter exchange between the seafloor and the water column. In this study, we show for the first time that a change from an ice-covered, Arctic water-dominated system to an Atlantic -dominated ice-free one is likely to reverse seafloor-water exchange directions. A north – south transect across the Barents Sea was studied over two years with differing sea ice cover conditions, recording biological, biogeochemical, hydrographic, geophysical, and oceanographic data. There was a clear difference between the direction and magnitude of key benthic-pelagic fluxes present at Atlantic-dominated environments, and those in Arctic water – dominated ones. Currently, the southern Barents Sea exhibits a net downward flux of dissolved matter and a net upward flux of particulates, while in the northern region solutes fluctuate upwards and particulates downward, making the North a more depositional region that promotes near-surface primary productivity. Broad scale assessments of net fluxes in rapidly changing ecosystems should be employed to monitor impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1016/j.jmarsys.2025.104067
ISSN:	09247963
Additional Keywords:	Arctic Ocean, Benthic-pelagic exchange, Biogeochemical cycling, Climate change, Particles, Sea ice, Solutes
Date made live:	04 Jun 2025 21:01 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539525

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1016/j.jmarsys.2025.104067

ISSN:

09247963

Additional Keywords:

Arctic Ocean, Benthic-pelagic exchange, Biogeochemical cycling, Climate change, Particles, Sea ice, Solutes

Date made live:

04 Jun 2025 21:01 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/539525