Realm: Marine
Climate: Polar
Biome: Polar ecoregions
Central latitude: 70.224113
Central longitude: -134.367174
Duration: 4 years, from 1971 to 1975

60 records

9 distinct species

Across the time series Polychaeta is the most frequently occurring species

Methods

STATIONS SAMPLED AND COLLECTING GEAR USEDA Petterson grab ( Foerst . Chicago) was used to sample stations71-501 to 71-506 in 1971 from M.V. Salvelinus.In 1973 a Wildco Ponar grab was used to sample stations 73-526to 73-542 from the vessel North Star of Herschel Island.In 1974 a Petterson grab and a Wildco Petersen grab wereused to sample stations 74-544 to 74-559 from M.V. Theta.In 1975 a Petterson grab was used to sample stations 75-565to 75-568 from the surface of the ice using a helicopter fortransportation.In 1975 a Wildco Petersen grab was used to sample stations75-569 to 75-575 from Pandom II.In 1975 a Petterson grab was used to sample stations 75-604t o 75-613 from M.V. Salvelinus.In 1975 an Ekman grab was used to sample stations A to G and 1 to200 from a small boat. These samples were taken by a party fromNorthern Operations . Department of Fisheries and Environment atWhitehorse. Yukon Territory.In 1975 a Petterson grab was used to sample stations 75-005 to75-034 from a small boat. These stations were sampled by a fisheriesgroup from the Arctic Biological Station .In 1975 a dredge of Our design was used t o sample stations 75-570.75-572. and 75-574 from Pandora II.Four stations were occupied by Pisces IV: 74-243 in 1974. and75-337. 75-339. and 75-341 in 1975. These stations were in thevicinity of Herschel Island.Kinds of grabs usedFour kinds of grabs were used in sampling the 102 stations:The Petterson grab (Foerst. Chicago) samples an area of 6.065 m2and has a volume of about 5 liters.The Wildco Ponar grab samples an area of 0.05 m2 and has a volumeof about 7.1 liters.The Wildco Petersen grab samples an area of 0.09 m2 and has a volumeof about 9.7 liters.The Ekman grab samples an area of 0.023 m2 and has a volume of about3.6 liters.Collecting and processing grab samplesThe area sampled by grab at each station varied from 0.23 to0.39 m2. with the exception of stations A to G. which were 0+07 m2.and station 200 which was 0.12 m2. The number of grabs taken ateach station varied with type of grab used. This data can be foundin Table 2. In some instances a substrate sample was taken from onehalf of one grab sample and the remaining portion was discarded.leaving only one half of the grab t o be combined with the other grabsamples from the station.Only adequate grab samples were retained. An adequate sampleis one in which the grab samples the bottom evenly. samples atleast 2 liters of substrate. and is closed when brought to the surface.Depth of penetratlon into the substrate may vary with type of substrate.but at most stations depth of penetration was from 6 to 10 cm.After the collection of a set of grabs from a station. substrateand organisms were washed on a stainless steel screen with a mesh sizeof 0.5 mm. Retained invertebrates and debris were preserved in formalin(1 part formaldehyde with 9 parts water) for transporting to the ArcticBiological Station where they were processed.Processing consists of sorting. identifying. counting and weighingspecimens in each sample.Each sample was sorted by hand using a Wild M5 dissectingmicroscope. Specimens were identified to species in most cases andcounts of specimens for each species were recorded. Speciesidentification was not attempted for a few taxa. such as nematodes.nemerteans. hydroids . and bryozoans. and although several species maybe involved. they were listed by taxon on a collective basis. In asimilar manner sponges. bryozoans. hydroids. and other colonial formswere regarded as one individual . Protozoans were arbitrarily excludedfrom the study. Stations 75-012 to 75-015 (Tables 90 to 93) includefreshwater species which were separated but not identified. Thesespecies were not included in the Beaufort Sea species list (Table 4).After sorting and identification. specimens were dried (dryingoven at 100?C overnight) and weighed on a Sartorius gravimetric balanceto four decimal places. The dry weight excludes tubes and shells. butno effort was made to eliminate gut contents. The calcareous partsof echinoderms and the skeletal parts of sponges are included in thedry weight because of difficulty in separating organic and inorganicparts.Data are presented on a m2 basis (Tables 8-108). For each samplenumber and weight of individuals of each species were multiplied by afactor t o convert sample values to m2 values. As an example. valuesderived from a sample area of 0.25 m2 were multiplied by 4 to obtain them2 values. The factor was rounded off t o the nearest 0.5; thus. afactor of 2.5 (instead of 2.6) was used to multiply values from a samplewith an area of 0-39 m2 in converting t o m2 values. Most species collectedby grab were considered to be representative. and their sample values wereconverted to m2 equivalents in a consistent manner. In a few cases. asindicated. the sample values were used without converting. becauserepresentation of occasionally collected. usually large. epifaunal speciescould not be assessed.Collecting and processing dredgesIn 1975 a dredge of our own design was used to sample the epifaunaat stations 75-570. 75-572. and 75-574. The dredge consisted of ametal frame with a net attached. The net was 1 m wide. 2 m long.and had a mesh size of 5 mm. Too few dredges were taken for thedata to be of general application. Estimates of biomass for theepifaunal component were obtained for only two of the three stations.The dredge haul at station 75-574 was aborted. Collected species fromal 1 three hauls were included in the Beaufort Sea species list (Table 4).Dredge data are presented in Tables 109-111. The estimates includethe weight contribution of some infaunal elements that were collectedby dredge. No attempt was made to determine total biomass of astation . by combining epifaunal and infaunal values. Associated datarelating to the dredge hauls are presented in Table 3. Total valuesare presented in Table 6.Observations from Pisces IVThese comments are related by the senior author.A familiarization dive was made in Pisces IV at station 74-243.located 12 miles northeast of Herschel Island. in 135 m of water on5 Sep 1974. Incident light became extinguished at a depth of 35 m.During the descent a variety of objects were visible in the murkywater; amphipods. copepods. mysids. medusae. ctenophores. and stringsof organic matter. The bottom was level. undisturbed by ice keels.and the sediment was fine without rocks. Visibility was 3-4 m.Small mounds and depressions were evident. but epifauna was sparseand patchy. with concentrations no less than 10 or 15 m apart.. Speciesseen during the dive were: burrowing anemones (Cemanthus ?) . i sopods(Mesidotea) pycnogonids (Nymphon). brittle stars ( Ophiocten aericeumand Gorgonocephalus ) . asteroids (Urasterias lincki. Icasterias panopla.Ctenodiscus crispatus. Solaster papposus) . and a fish (sculpin ?). Nobenthic algae were seen. In one area of about 12 m2 there were oneUraeteriae lincki. one Icasterias panopla. two burrowing anemones . oneSolaster papposus. several pycnogonids. and some scattered Ophioctensericeum. Based on dried specimens at the Arctic Biological Station.the estimated biomass of epifauna within the 12 m2 was about 70 gwhich averages out to 5.7 g m-2.In 1975 three dives were made in Thetis Bay. immediately southof Herschel Island on the 2nd. 3rd. and 4th of September. Originally.it was planned to sample several areas across the shelf of the southernBeaufort Sea in order to determine the contribution of epifauna tototal biomass ; however. ice conditions restricted diving to thethree sitess in Thetis Bay.A metal frame. which was one square meter in size. was held bythe arm of the submersible in front of the viewing port and countsof epifauna. large animals that were seen with the unaided eye. weremade at intermittant stops of the submersible. The metal frame hada diagonal brace. so counts could be made in the whole square or inhalf of the square.The dive at station 75-337 was made in depths of water of 45 t o56 m. Counts of the most abundant species. Ophiocten sericeum. weremade within the whole frame of 1 m . The range of counts was 7-19as observed within 16 frame counts averaging 14.5 Ophioctensericeum m-2. The calculated biomass (dry weight) was 1.64 m-2. OneMesidotea and one Ophiopleura borealis were observed within one of the16 frame counts. The dry weight of each of these was about 1 g. whichaverages about 0.13 g m-2. thus bringing the epifaunal biomass to1.77 g m-2 at this station.The dive at station 75-339 occurred in 20 t o 30 m depth of water.Counts of Mesidotea sp.. the only genus observed within the 34 one-halfm2 frames. were 0-3 m translating into 28 individuals in 17 m2.resulting in an average of 9.65 individuals m-2. Biomass was estimatedt o be 1.86 g m-2. Other species observed. b u t not within the frame.were Urasieriae lincki . Ctenodiscus crispatus. and either Buccinun orNeptunea with its egg mass.The dive at station 75-341 was made in 18 to 22 m of water alongthe ridge separating the basin of Thetis Bay from Herschel Trench.Some incident light reaches the bottom at these depths. Scouring wassevere giving rise to a mosaic of scoured trenches and undisturbed areas.Random frame counts were not attempted at this station. but the distributionof epifauna appeared to be patchy in the undisturbed areas. OneUrasteriae lincki and one Mesidotea sp. were observed in the scours. Inthe undisturbed areas the above species.along with Cerianthus sp..Gersemia rubifomis. Pecten sp. . a sponge. and some hydroids were seen. Unit of abundance = AggregatedPresence, Unit of biomass = NA

Citation(s)

Wacasey, J., Atkinson, E., Derick, L. & Weinstein, A. "Zoobenthos data from the southern Beaufort Sea". Available at: http://www.iobis.org/mapper/?dataset=4461, accessed 2012.
Wacasey, J., Atkinson, E., Derick, L. & Weinstein, A. (1977) Zoobenthos data from the southern Beaufort Sea. Fisheries and Environment Canada. Fisheries and Marine Service Data report 41, Arctic Biological Station fisheries and Marine Service Department of Fisheries and the Environment; Arctic Ocean Diversity, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks.