Sediment properties and benthic–pelagic coupling in the North Water

Measurements of sediment oxygen consumption were made during spring and summer in the North Water, the polynya that forms between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, and used in conjunction with sediment trap data to assess benthic–pelagic coupling in this system. Bottom sediments ranged from cobble in the north to soft muds in the southern part of the sampling grid. Muddy sediments were often pelletized as shown by disaggregation. Sediment photopigments were generally lower in coarse sediment stations to the north than in finer sediments stations to the south. Shipboard incubation of intact cores provided rates of 0.07–0.17 mmol O2 m−2 h−1, with significantly greater oxygen consumption in summer than in spring. Additional incubation of macrofauna-free sediment aliquots in vials demonstrated significantly lower oxygen consumption in summer than in spring. Partitioning of benthic metabolism via these selective exclusion experiments showed a seasonal change in the response of the benthos to pelagic input, with meio-microbenthos dominating oxygen consumption in spring and macrofauna dominating in summer. Increased oxygen demand in the western polynya is suggested to coincide with the highest rates of carbon input measured by sediment traps and highest levels of sediment pigments. This region is an advective sink for particles produced in the east and subsequently transported by net polynya circulation. Although the benthos of the North Water does not display enhanced rates of carbon processing compared to other Arctic sediments, including other polynyas, the protracted production season of North Water provides a longer period over which the benthos can receive and mineralize organic carbon.