Benthic studies in the northern Bering Sea indicate that the Gulf of Anadyr cold pool, which has apparently shifted over the past decade, has an important influence on benthic community structure. This research will integrate benthic studies of this feature with a recently completed appraisal of the importance of the nearby St. Lawrence island polynya on benthic communities. This appraisal indicated that there were significant differences in benthic biomass, sediment respiration, tunicate cellulose oxygen-18 content, sediment lipid content, and bottom chlorophyll values between nearshore benthic communities most directly affected by the polynya, compared to the offshore benthos. These findings indicate that the presence of the open-water polynya in the winter contributes to benthic productivity south of St. Lawrence island. This work also suggested, however, that the presence of the Gulf of Anadyr cold pool had an even more important physical influence; it appears to be associated with the most productive benthic communities (as measured by sediment respiration and benthic biomass) in the northern Bering Sea. This research will conduct detailed studies of the nearshore benthos southwest of St. Lawrence Island and within the Gulf of Anadyr cold pool, with the goal of characterizing the influence of this feature on ecosystem function in the Bering Sea benthos. Benthic production is extremely important in the shallow Bering Sea, and more detailed knowledge of its role will contribute significantly to our understanding of the Arctic marine ecosystem.
