Gm. Vinogradov et al., The under-ice mesozooplankton of the Pechora and Kara Seas in the Winter-Spring period, 2000, OCEANOLOGY, 41(5), 2001, pp. 696-702
Zooplankton communities under continuous ice cover in the Kara Sea and near
the ice edge in the Pechora Sea were studied. The sampling was carried out
from onboard nuclear ice breakers in the period January-April 2000. The br
eeding of the small-size opportunist species Pseudocalanus acuspes under co
ntinuous fast ice of the Gulf of Yenisei began as early as in April, though
the total mesozooplankton biomass (0.8 mg/m(3)) was characteristic of the
winter condition of the community. A classical spring pattern of polychaete
and barnacle larvae hatching and euphausiid spawning was observed. Such co
nditions of the plankton community near the ice edge have been described ea
rlier, but this is the first observation of a planktonic community under th
e continuous ice of the Kara Sea.