Microalgal communities of the sea ice, ice-covered and ice-free waters of Wood Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica) during the austral summer 1993-94

During the austral summer 1993-94, microalgal density and biomass were investigated in the sea ice, in the underlying water column, in the melt water and during the formation of the sea ice. Of the 96 taxa identified, 59 were diatoms and 32 were dinoflagellates. Among the remaining five species, Pseudopleurochloris antarctica was very abundant both in the sea ice and in the ice-free waters. Cell densities and biomass of microalgae were higher in the bottom of the sea ice and during the formation of the ice than in the seawater, and diatoms were the dominant group at higher microalgal biomass. Among these, Entomoneis kufferathii, Chaetoceros dichaeta and Fragilariopsis species were the most common taxa.