The under-ice habitat and fauna were studied during a typical winter situation at three stations in the western Barents Sea. Dense pack ice (7-10/10) prevailed and ice thickness ranged over <0.1-1.6 m covered by <0.1-0.6 m of snow. Air temperatures ranged between -1.8 and -27.5°C. The ice undersides were level, white and smooth. Temperature and salinity profiles in the under-ice water (0-5 m depth) were not stratified (T=-1.9 to -2.0°C and S=34.2-34.7). Concentrations of inorganic nutrients were high and concentrations of algal pigments were very low (0.02 µg chlorophyll a/l), indicating the state of biological winter. Contents of particulate organic carbon and nitrogen ranged over 84.2-241.3 and 5.3-16.4 µg/l, respectively, the C/N ratio over 11.2-15.5 pointing to the dominance of detritus in the under-ice water. Abundances of amphipods at the ice underside were lower than in other seasons: 0-1.8 ind/m2 for Apherusa glacialis, 0-0.7 ind/m2 for Onisimus spp., and 0-0.8 ind/m2 for Gammarus wilkitzkii. A total of 22 metazoan taxa were found in the under-ice water, with copepods as the most diverse and numerous group. Total abundances ranged over 181-2,487 ind/m3 (biomass: 70-2,439 µg C/m3), showing lower values than in spring, summer and autumn. The dominant species was the calanoid copepod Pseudocalanus minutus (34-1,485 ind/m3), contributing 19-65% to total abundances, followed by copepod nauplii (85-548 ind/m3) and the cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis (44-262 ind/m3). Sympagic (ice-associated) organisms occurred only rarely in the under-ice water layer.
