Ff. Perez et al., NUTRIENT DEPLETION AND PARTICULATE MATTER NEAR THE ICE-EDGE IN THE WEDDELL SEA, Marine ecology. Progress series, 112(1-2), 1994, pp. 143-153
The region between Elephant Island and the South Orkney Islands (53.5
degrees S, 46.5 degrees W) was occupied by Winter Weddell Sea water an
d a thick layer of summer and surface modified Weddell Water, High cor
relations between nutrients (nitrate, total inorganic carbon, silicate
) and oxygen with salinity were found in the upper 150 m near the ice-
edge. Nutrient depletion was calculated and correlated with the meltin
g ice processes. When 1 m of ice melts, the average amount of total ca
rbonate and nutrients removed is equivalent to a production of 33 g C
m(-2) yr(-1). Increases of oxygen were detected with high rates of nut
rient and carbon depletion, However, significant oxygen losses in the
melting water body were estimated from the conservative 'NO' parameter
. The amount of nutrients removed during pack-ice melting was about 3
times higher than that taken up in the water column. Analyses of parti
culate material in the ice samples showed similar C:N ratios to those
estimated by the decrease of nutrients in the water column.