Arctic Sea Ice Invertebrate Fauna from the Beaufort Sea, Spring 1980

The nearshore Beaufort Sea off northern Alaska was sampled in spring 1980 to collect invertebrates from seasonal sea ice. Over 90% of individuals were meiofaunal taxa, with densities reaching a maximum of around 50,000 individuals per square meter in June. The dataset, from SCIOPS, focuses on population structures of two dominant copepod species, Cyclopina gracilis and Harpacticus sp.

Use Cases

• Model seasonal population density changes based on reported densities from April to June.
• Compare reproductive strategies based on the described population structures of Cyclopina gracilis and Harpacticus sp.
• Analyze habitat use by benthic copepods in ephemeral sea ice environments as described.
• Study meiofaunal community composition based on the reported numerical dominance of nematodes, copepods, and turbellarians.

Strengths

• Density estimates are provided, with a maximum reported at around 50,000 individuals per square meter.
• Focuses on two specific copepod species with detailed observations on their population structures and reproductive timing.
• Data collection is temporally specific, covering the spring season of 1980.

Limitations

• Last updated 1980-06-02 23:59:59.999000; freshness should be verified.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS

Collection Method

Samples collected from the lower layer of seasonal sea ice.

Time Range

Spring 1980

Freshness

1980-06-02 23:59:59.999000

Geography

Nearshore Beaufort Sea, off the northern coast of Alaska