The Physiology, Ecology and Biogeochemistry of Marine Zooplankton in a Changing Arctic Ocean

Marine zooplankton are fundamental to the ecological and biogeochemical functioning of the Arctic Ocean. They convert microplankton prey into lipid-rich biomass and thus represent the principal trophic interface between primary producers and countless species of fish and higher predators including birds and mammals. Arctic zooplankton also play critical roles in the Earth System by: 1) fuelling regenerated primary production and sustaining ecosystem productivity via ammonium excretion, and 2) by sequestering carbon in deeper waters via passively sinking faecal pellets and active daily and seasonal vertical migrations.

The rapid warming of the Arctic Ocean is affecting the physiological rates of organisms, with impacts on their distributions and life-cycles. In turn, these are affecting the ecology and biogeochemistry of the highly productive Arctic ecosystem, often in ways that we are yet to fully capture or represent in biogeochemical models.

This Research Topic welcomes all contributions relating to Arctic marine zooplankton, their response to changing environmental conditions and the resulting impacts on the ecology and biogeochemistry of the region.