Vulnerability of Arctic Ocean microbial eukaryotes to sea ice loss.

The Arctic Ocean (AO) is changing at an unprecedented rate, with ongoing sea ice loss, warming and freshening impacting the extent and duration of primary productivity over summer months. Surface microbial eukaryotes are vulnerable to such changes, but basic knowledge of the spatial variability of surface communities is limited. Here, we sampled microbial eukaryotes in surface waters of the Beaufort Sea from four contrasting environments: the Canada Basin (open ocean), the Mackenzie Trough (river-influenced), the Nuvuk region (coastal) and the under-ice system of the Canada Basin.