Primary Productivity of the Benthic Microalgae in the Chukchi Sea near Barrow, Alaska

The primary productivity of the benthic microflora was measured using in situ techniques. Primary productivity ranged from below 0.5 mg C m −2 h −1 in winter when the sampling area was covered with ice to nearly 57.0 mg C m −2 h −1 in August. This is 8 times the productivity of the ice algae and twice that of the phytoplankton.