Southeastern Chukchi Sea (Alaska) epibenthos 1976

Dissimilarities between the benthic systems of the southeastern and northeastern Chukchi Seas are attributed to more complex water mass and flow patterns in the southern system. Entrained particulate organic carbon disperses through the area to support an abundant and apparently highly productive benthic fauna, which sustains resident and transient populations of demersal fishes and marine mammals. Epibenthos was sampled again in 1998 and, although little change was apparent in community composition, many taxa had higher abundance and biomass than 22 years earlier, a trend similar to findings observed in the northeastern Bering Sea.