An in situ Method for Measuring Primary Productivity of Arctic Sea Ice Algae

Abstract

With the use of SCUBA diving and a new ¹⁴C incubation chamber, the rates of carbon fixation by the algal community that lives within the undersurface of sea ice have been measured. Rates of primary productivity ranged from 7.67-mg C/m²∙hr near the peak of the bloom to a low of 0.30-mg C/m²∙hr just prior to the thaw period.