Macroalgae of the high-Arctic Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago

Abstract

Abstract Most of the archipelagos of the Russian Arctic are still extremely poorly studied. New data have been obtained using SCUBA diving and on-shore sampling during the“Open Ocean: Arctic Archipelagos – 2019. Severnaya Zemlya” expedition, which provided a significant update to scarce information on the seaweeds of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago. The list of macroalgae of the archipelago includes 48 species to date, belonging to Chlorophyta (17 species), Rhodophyta (18), and Phaeophyceae (13). Twenty-eight species are recorded for the first time in the study area; three species are new for the entire Russian Arctic. The taxonomic status of some observed species is discussed. For the first time, a wide distribution of kelps is described in the sub-tidal zone in the high-Arctic areas of the Siberian shelf, which is severely affected by ice disturbance and glacial processes. The highest population densities of the kelp communities have been observed near the Krasnoflotskie Islands (the Kara Sea) and in the Akhmatov and Mikoyan bays (the Laptev Sea). Further studies of the flora and vegetation of both the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago shelf and other Arctic archipelagos are required.