the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
The Italian contribution to the Synoptic Arctic Survey programme: the 2021 CASSANDRA cruise (LB21) through the Greenland Sea Gyre along the 75°N transect
Abstract. In September 2021, as part of the Italian Arctic research programme, a multidisciplinary cruise along the 75th parallel north through the Greenland Sea Gyre was conducted aboard the Italian icebreaker Laura Bassi as part of the CASSANDRA project, which also contributed to the Synoptic Arctic Survey (SAS) 2020/22. The cruise took place during the period of the lowest summer sea ice extent ever measured. The data show strong horizontal gradients with temperatures between 1.5 °C and 9.0 °C and salinity between 30 and 35. Warm and salty Atlantic Water (AW, θ > 3.0 °C, S around 35) dominates on the eastern side of the transect in the upper 500 m with surface temperatures of 4.5–9.0 °C, while Polar Water (PW, θ < 0 °C, S < 33) occupies the surface layer (50–80 m) in the west. The intermediate layer (100–500 m) consists of mixed water, and below 500 m the deep water of the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea predominates. The oxygen enrichment is higher in the intermediate layers, while the values in deep layers and western regions are lower (< 300 µmol kg-1). A stratified upper layer (30–50 m deep) with low surface nutrients, especially nitrate, is observed, while an accumulation of silicate occurs in deep water masses. The surface water in the eastern part of the transect has high pHT and total alkalinity values due to photosynthesis and the presence of salty AW, while the fresh PW in the west has a lower alkalinity. Respiratory activity and organic matter concentrations (particulate/dissolved organic carbon) vary horizontally at the surface, decrease with depth, and increase slightly near the seafloor. A west-east gradient is also observed for δ¹⁸O and δD, with the ratios indicating the influence of freshwater at the surface near the Greenland coast. The abundance of prokaryotes decreases from the photic zone (< 100 m depth) to the sea floor. Carbohydrates and carboxylic acids are identified as well-utilised polymers at every station and in every layer. Overall, the microbial enzyme patterns show a decrease from the surface to deeper layers, with some hotspots of metabolic activity at 20–40 m and in the aphotic layer. The enzyme patterns vary spatially, with activity peaks at the ends and in the middle of the transect. Phytoplankton biomass, measured as chlorophyll-a, varies across the transect, with higher values at its extremities. Micro-phytoplankton fraction dominates in PW, replacing the nano-phytoplankton fraction, which is prevalent in AW, even at the interface between the two water masses. Data of phytoplankton communities show low abundances and dominance of nano-sized organisms, with diatoms being more abundant in the western part. Microzooplankton represents an important fraction of the planktonic community in this area, with tintinnids being the most important groups along the transect. Micrometazoans and aloricate ciliates are more abundant in the AW, resulting in higher biomass values at the eastern stations. Copepods are the most abundant mesozooplanktonic taxon both at the surface and in the upper 100 m water layer (97 % and 94 % of total mesozooplankton abundance, respectively), mainly represented by the genus Calanus.
The data are publicly available at the Italian Arctic Data Centre (IADC), see section Data availability.
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RC1: 'Comment on essd-2025-37', Alexey Mishonov, 05 Mar 2025
This MS is a very nice description of the field data and analyses of the collected samples.
It is a pity though that data of water turbidly and fluorescence collected by WET Labs ECO-AFL/FL are not analyzed and described. I believe reported increase of the DOC/POC values at the depth could be nicely connected to the turbidity profiles.
I believe this MS can be published after minor revision after fixing a few remarks below.
Ln 374: should it be ‘easternmost’?
Fig. 5: I would suggest to use non-linear depth axis (as in Fig. 3) to better illustrate the upper photic layer.
Fig.6: Edit units notation in the caption (i.e. L-1, not L-1)
Ln 421-422: Cold be that increase of DOC & POC be related to the bottom nepheloid layer? Are there any comparison with the turbidity records?
Ln 441: Looks lie St. 46 is located at the westernmost end of the transect (as mentioned in Ln 447). Please check and correct.
Ln 465-466: I would say that Sts 20 and 30 are central (as it is referred to in Ln 481), not easternmost. Please check and correct.
Ln 602: Consider replace ‘during’ with ‘along’
Ln 606: consider replace ‘lighter’ with ‘lower’
- AC1: 'Reply on RC1', Manuel Bensi, 19 Mar 2025
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RC2: 'Comment on essd-2025-37', Anonymous Referee #2, 17 Apr 2025
The authors present a very comprehensive hydrographic biogeochemical and biological dataset from a cross-section at 75°N from the East Greenland Shelf to the Barents Sea shelf in late summer 2021. The data set is very extensive with the various parameters that were investigated and allows an insight into the interrelationships of the biological ecosystem during this time phase.
I think the manuscript can be accepted after a view minor change as following:
Line 42/43: Sentence unclear please rephrase
Line 212: How many replicates were taken? How was the spatial variability of the POC on the filter handled?
Line 222 Could you comment on using (HDPE) bottles, I thought DOC should be in pe-combusted glass vails?
Line 247 Please give µm units for polycarbonate membranes
Figure 5: Please use same y-scale as for Fig 3 for better visibility of the biological relevant surface data.
Figure 6 & 14: Please improve the quality of the figures and hange the order in West -East, as done for all other figures
Figure 9: Integrated contribution again 0-100m?
Figure 10: Integrated values again 0-100m?
Figure 14: change unit notation to: μL O2 h-1 L-1
Citation: https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-2025-37-RC2
Data sets
CTD (DOWNCAST) LB21 ARCTIC Cruise Italian Arctic project CASSANDRA M. Bensi et al. https://doi.org/10.71761/c082c3ca-40bf-42b1-a61a-7b3697ab2c5a
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