Benthic Fauna of the Stepovogo Bay (Novaya Zemlya Archipelago, Kara Sea)
During the RV “Professor Shtokman” expeditions in 2013–2014 a study of the benthic fauna was conducted in the Stepovogo Bay (the Kara Sea, Novaya Zemlya). From the inner part of the bay to the depth of 180 m on the slope of the Novaya Zemlya Trench 10 grab stations were sampled. The quantitative characteristics of the bottom fauna were described and macrozoobenthic communities were identified. An important part of the bay fauna consisted of species that occupy the stony and shale substrates, including attached forms. A number of deep-sea arctic species such as Ophiopleura borealis were substantially absent in the bay. A number of deposite-feeding bivalves (Portlandia arctica, Ennucula tenuis, Yoldiella solidula, Yoldiella lenticula) which play a leading role in the communities of the inner parts of the bays where an intensive sedimentation of the fine mineral particles takes place were not found in the bay too. Two main trends in the benthic communities'' distribution are the bathymetric trend and the spatial changes across the bay axis from the inner part to the outer slope. A comparison of the benthic communities of the Stepovogo Bay with communities from the other arctic fjords is discussed.