A GIS Based Analysis of the Benthic Community
in the Western Arctic Ocean
By J§na Finnd¯s J§nsd§ttir and David Maidment
ABSTRACT
Knowledge of the spatial distribution
of benthos in the Western Arctic Ocean gives valuable information
of the effects of global change on the ecology of the Arctic Ocean.
The goal of this research was to construct a geospatial database and
analyze the benthic community in the Western Arctic Ocean using Geographical
Information Systems (GIS). The study area includes the Beaufort, Chukchi,
East Siberian and Northern Bering Seas. Benthic sample data were assembled
in a relational database and analyzed in ArcView and Arc/Info. A Geostatistical
Analyst extension to ArcMap was used to interpolate benthic biomass
with kriging techniques. The kriging model shows regions of high benthic
biomass in the Bering and Chukchi Sea, where the warm nutrient rich
waters of the Pacific Ocean mix with the Arctic Ocean. The benthic biomass
is significantly lower in the Beaufort Sea, while regions of relatively
high benthic biomass appear to exist in
the vicinity of fresh water inflow from major rivers.
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