Benthic lower trophic level food webs in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas

Project Description

Warming trends in the Arctic and increasing loss of sea ice and its associated primary production are thought to have profound effects on the energy flow on Arctic shelves. In this project we establish a baseline of the benthic lower trophic food web structure across the poorly investigated Beaufort Sea shelf, against which future changes in food web structure can be assessed. We also measure the contribution of sea ice algae to the diet of several benthic invertebrate feeding guilds using fatty-acid specific stable isotope analysis. These measurements will allow predictions about how energy flow through various benthic feeding types might be affected by future changes in sea ice conditions.

Project Funding

NPRB
Amount: $169,000
Start Date: 2012-08-00
End Date: 2016-01-00

Publications

Divine, L.M., K. Iken, and B.A. Bluhm. (2015). "Regional benthic food web structure on the Alaska Beaufort Sea shelf". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 531:15–32. doi: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11340

Project posters