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Abstract—The paper discusses the spatial distribution of the main parameters of primary production in the Bransfield Strait in the austral summer. The integrated primary production in the strait varied from 435 to 741 mgC m–2 day–1. The share of primary production in the total production of phyto- and bacterioplankton in the upper 10 m layer was 82–91%. Potential photosynthetic capacity (Fv/Fm) was high within the euphotic layer (0.418–0.749) throughout the area. The production parameters in the two main water masses in the strait did not differ. Photosynthetic efficiency (the ratio of the assimilation number and the relative electron transport rate, AN/rETR) varied in different subregions of the study area by almost six times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An expedition to study the ecosystems of the Atlantic sector of the Antarctic was carried out in cruise 87 of R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh between January 19 and February 14, 2022. The studies were carried out in the key regions for understanding modern processes in the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean and in the regions of interest for Russian fisheries, namely, the Powell Basin of the Weddell Sea, the Bransfield Strait, Antarctic Sound, and at the test site east of the South Orkney Islands. Materials characterizing the state of the environment, pelagic communities, including the population of the Antarctic krill and mesopelagic fish, benthic fauna, and the spatial and temporal variability of the most important components of ecosystems, were obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]