Ratio changing of nutrients remaining reserve in the processes of diatoms and other systematic groups of algae production and mineralization in the Barents Sea

Abstract

The article discusses some features of the hydrochemical and hydrobiological regimes of the marine ecosystem of the Barents Sea as a whole. A method that uses stable isotopes to calculate the consumption of the elements in the process of photosynthesis with subsequent calculation of the primary production is presented. As a result, distributions of these values in the Barents Sea were obtained. The area in the north of the sea characterized by the maximum values of silicon consumption with a remaining reserve of 8% is delimited. At the same time, the remaining reserves of phosphorus and nitrogen are 50%, although in most cases nitrogen is the limiting factor of photosynthesis in other areas of the sea. The estimated maximum volume of primary production is 7 times less than in incoming Atlantic waters. The main primary producers of pelagial in this area are diatoms, they form the main production potential, which determines the features of the hydrochemical regime of this water area.