As part of the Nansen Legacy research, the food webs in the Barents Sea have been investigated. Knowledge of food webs are important to understand how species and communities interact, how these interactions vary with season and over years, and how biological production ultimately impact the harvest potential in the region.
A special issue in the journal Progress in Oceanography, is now completed. It includes a summarizing editorial overview article and 12 research articles, and the full issue can be checked out here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/10RD188JH7M
A team of guest editors from the Nansen Legacy project, Randi B. Ingvaldsen (IMR), Gunnar Bratbak (UIB), Benjamin Planque (IMR) and Janne E. Søreide (UNIS) initiated this special issue to compile new research and results relevant to understand the food web dynamics in the Barents Sea. This information is filling knowledge gaps and directly relevant for the ecosystem-based management of the region.
The 12 research papers address different parts of the food web – from the base with phytoplankton – zooplankton interactions, via fish and to marine mammals. The studies cover a time range from specific field studies of ice edge bloom interactions to use of decadal historical data on how interaction of key fish species like capelin, polar cod and cod impact their dynamics, to predicted future impacts of the increasing snow crab population. The role of advection (inflow of heat and organisms with the Atlantic current) for the Barents Sea food web and productivity is addressed as well as how mercury biomagnification is reflected in the food web, although levels are low compared to other Arctic regions.
Randi B. Ingvaldsen, one of the guest editors and lead of the research focus on the living Barents Sea in the Nansen Legacy states that “the warming of the Barents Sea and impact on species distribution and communities is reflected in the food webs and calls for adaption in future ecosystem-based management.”
Randi B. Ingvaldsen, IMR, has been one of the guest editors of the special issue on Food webs in the Barents Sea region. Photo: Magne Velle, MET Norway.
