Pelagic algocenoses of the Barents Sea in the area of the ice edge in the spring

In April 2019, comprehensive studies of phytoplankton were carried out in the northeast of the Barents Sea simultaneously with the determination of hydrological characteristics. The purpose of the work was to identify the structural features of the marginal bloom of pelagic microalgae in the spring. The taxonomic list of organisms found in the studied water area included 61 representatives identified to the species level. The indicator of species similarity (Jaccard coefficient) of algocenoses in various water masses reached a level of just over 20%, namely: for communities of the Atlantic and the Barents Sea waters 24.69%; the Barents Sea and Arctic 23.08%; Arctic and Atlantic − 20.24%. At the same time, between stations in the edge zone and those nearby on the section it was more than 40%. It can be argued that during the observation period there was no influence of ice flora components on pelagic communities.