IMIS

This dataset comprises 1681 observations of Microbenthic algae species located near Point Barrow Alaska. Presence or absence of these species are noted. The primary productivity, chlorophyll α concentrations and the community composition of the benthic microalgae in the Chukchi Sea near Barrow, Alaska, were determined in August 1972. Primary productivity experiments were carried out using in situ incubation chambers placed in the sediment by SCUBA divers in order to closely simulate natural conditions. Primary productivity ranged from below 0.5 mgC/m2/hr in the winter when the sampling area was covered in ice to 56.99 mgC/m2/hr in August. High levels of primary productivity and chlorophyll α during the months of July and August can be attributed to the development of a mat of the filamentous diatom Amphipleura rutilans on the sediment surface.