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Biological community changes in the Laptev Sea (historical data; TRANSDRIFT XXIV + XXV)

Task B will address the ongoing alterations of species composition and main structural cha-racteristics in pelagic and benthic ecosystems of key regions of the Laptev Sea. Namely, the team will B1) synoptically analyze both archival and novel data on key hydrobiological para-meters from the Laptev Sea and the adjacent seas, B2) assess the change in species com-position and quantitative parameters of phytoplankton, zooplankton and zoobenthos in these regions, which are most affected by current climate change, and B3) identify potential inva-sive species of boreal origin in the waters flowing into the Laptev Sea through Vilkitsky Strait.

Subtask B1 will be a joint effort of SIO RAS, AARI and AWI, operating the most extensive database on Laptev Sea biota. Additionally, standard sampling of the main components of pelagic and benthic ecosystems will be undertaken during the expeditions TRANSDRIFT XXIV (2017) and XXV (2018) by SIO RAS and AARI participants in key regions of the Laptev Sea. Subtask B2 will be performed on the basis of the task team's taxonomic expertise on key pelagic and benthic taxa. The main focus will be on microphyto- and mesozooplankton species in the samples taken in 2017 and 2018 as these groups were shown to particularly fast respond to a changing pelagic environment. Subtask B3 will apply a broader approach to predict future taxonomic change in the Laptev Sea, building on knowledge from other Arctic seas which experienced boreal fauna invasions during the past decades.

 

Task coordinator
Vasily Povazhnyy	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute

 

Key collaborators
Anna Danshina	Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute
Irina Kryukova	P.P. Shirshov Institute of Oceanology RAS
Dieter Piepenburg	Christian Albrechts University Kiel
Anya Waite	Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research