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Polynyas, areas of open water surrounded by sea ice, are sites of intense primary production and ecological hotspots in the Antarctic Ocean. This study determined the spatial variation in communities of prokaryotes in a polynya in the Amundsen Sea using 454 pyrosequencing technology, and the results were compared with biotic and abiotic environmental factors. The bacterial abundance was correlated with that of phytoplankton, Phaeocystis spp. and diatoms. A cluster analysis indicated that the bacterial communities in the surface waters of the polynya were distinct from those under the sea ice. Overall, two bacterial clades, Polaribacter (20-64%) and uncultivated Oceanospirillaceae (7-34%), dominated the surface water in the polynya while the Pelagibacter clade was abundant at all depths (7-42%). The archaeal communities were not as diverse as the bacterial communities in the polynya, and marine group I was dominant (> 80%). Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the oceanographic properties facilitated the development of distinct prokaryotic assemblages in the polynya. This analysis of the diversity and composition of the psychrophilic prokaryotes associated with high phytoplankton production provides new insights into the roles of prokaryotes in biogeochemical cycles in high-latitude polynyas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biochemical compositions (proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids) of phytoplankton provide useful information for their environmental growth conditions and nutritional status as a basic food source for upper trophic consumers. Concentrations of these compositions were assessed at 100, 30, and 1% light penetration depths within the euphotic zone in the Amundsen Sea, Antarctica, using colorimetric techniques. The major inorganic nutrients were generally abundant throughout the study area. The average chlorophyll a (chl-a) concentration was 49.2 mg m −2 (S.D.=±27.6 mg m −2 ) and large phytoplankton (>20 µm) accounted for 64.1% of the total chl-a concentration. The biochemical compositions of the phytoplankton were not significantly different among different light depths or productivity stations. The overall compositions of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids from all stations averaged 65.9% (S.D.=±12.5%), 22.4% (S.D.=±10.9%), and 11.7% (S.D.=±6.5%), respectively. Regardless of dominant phytoplankton species, nitrogen-abundant conditions sustained high protein compositions of phytoplankton in the Amundsen Sea during the cruise period. Based on the macromolecular compositions, the average food material (FM) concentration was 219.4 μg L −1 (S.D.=±151.1 μg L −1 ) and correlated positively with the primary productivity in the Amundsen Sea. High protein/carbohydrate ratios (>1) and large proportions of proteins suggest that phytoplankton provide nitrogen-sufficient foods to higher trophic consumers through a higher efficiency of protein carbon incorporated into herbivores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the relationship between the phytoplankton composition and the CDOM production in the Amundsen Sea, we examined the taxonomic variability of phytoplankton, nutrients and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (CDOM) participating in two research cruises, ANA02C (February, 2012) and ANA04B (January, 2014). For both cruises, the peak concentrations of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) were measured in the Amundsen Sea Polynya (ASP) where the average Chl-a concentration was 2.31 μg L −1 (±1.01 μg L −1 ) in February 2012 and 3.92 μg L −1 (±3.14 μg L −1 ) in January 2014. The major phytoplankton groups were diatoms and prymnesiophytes, while the minor groups were cryptophytes, chlorophytes, dinophytes, chrysophytes and cyanophytes. The phytoplankton compositions in the sea ice zone (SIZ), the ASP and ice shelf (IS) was distinct. The predominance of Phaeocystis antarctica ( P. antarctica ) (70–90%) was observed at all stations, except in the SIZ in January 2014. While the CDOM concentrations ( a 355 ) ranged from 0.07 to 0.98 m −1 , the average values of a 355 of the euphotic layer in the ASP was 0.51 m −1 (±0.19 m −1 ), which was much higher than any other region of the Southern Ocean. CDOM showed strong correlation with Chl-a but no relationship with salinity, which implies that biological processes were the main source of CDOM. Among the major phytoplankton taxa, P. antarctica was confirmed as the most important contributor to the production of CDOM, according to the high correlation between marker pigment (hex-fuco) and CDOM. The unusually high CDOM in the ASP is expected to give as impact on the environment in various aspects. As a nature of CDOM, absorption of solar radiation at the surface can result in the increase of sea surface temperature (SSTs), which will accelerate the ice melting. Also the photo-oxidation of CDOM can serve as a feedback to increasing atmospheric CO 2 concentrations after peak bloom in austral summer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the heterotrophic bacterial biomass and production in February 2012, in four habitats (a polynya, sea-ice zone, ice shelf, and the open sea) in the Amundsen Sea to determine the spatial distribution, controlling factors, and ecological role of the bacteria during a late phytoplankton bloom by Phaeocystis antarctica . Bacterial abundance (BA) and production (BP) were highest at the center of the polynya, and both were significantly correlated with phytoplankton biomass. BP accounted for average 17% of the organic carbon produced by phytoplankton primary production (PP), which is higher than the average BP:PP ratio reported in most open ocean. The abundance of heterotrophic nanoflagellates (HNF) was correlated with the BA, and the average bacteria:HNF ratio (260) was lower than the values reported in most marine environments (400–1000), including the Ross Sea Polynya (800). Evidence for a tight coupling of bacteria and phytoplankton activities on the one hand and intense HNF grazing on bacteria on the other could be found in the high BP:PP and low bacteria:HNF ratios, respectively. Interestingly, these data were accompanied by low particulate carbon export fluxes measured during the late Phaeocystis bloom. Together, these results indicated that the microbial loop plays a significant role in the biogeochemical carbon cycle and food web processes in the Amundsen Sea Polynya. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]