N. M. Pertsova1 and K. N. Kosobokova2
1Faculty of Biology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
2Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Received December 27, 2000
Abstract—Observations on the structure and biomass of the zooplankton community were implemented over
a fixed transect across the deep part of Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea in the springs of 1983–1986, 1991,
and 1998. The average zooplankton biomass in the entire water column varied from 212 to 336 mg/m3 (wet
weight) over the period studied. The spatial variability along the transect ranges by a factor of 1.2–1.6. On the
basis of a comparison of the original data and those published earlier, the range of the seasonal and interannual
variability in the area studied is discussed. The results obtained indicate that the seasonal dynamics of the plank-
ton community and seasonal amplitude of the biomass oscillation should be taken into account in evaluation of
the interannual trends in the biomass variability. The comparison of the data available indicates that the conclu-
sion of a significant increase in the zooplankton biomass in the White Sea over the past decades is premature.
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