How localized physical processes influence large‐scale phytoplankton blooms near the sea ice edge in the Greenland Sea

Abstract The Arctic Ocean has experienced intensifying phytoplankton spring blooms near the sea ice edge. Here, we investigate the drivers of such near‐ice blooms in the Greenland Sea by comparing satellite and in situ observations with the ECCO‐Darwin physical–biogeochemical state estimate. Satellite data reveal pronounced spring blooms within ~ 200 km of the ice, a signal that is not reproduced in ECCO‐Darwin. Observations further reveal that primary production is tightly linked to submesoscale meltwater eddies shed from the ice edge, which are not currently resolved by ECCO‐Darwin. We argue that the relatively coarse spatial resolution, together with biases in sea ice concentration and sea surface salinity lead to the underestimation of near‐ice blooms in ECCO‐Darwin. These results highlight (1) a critical role for fine‐scale processes in driving Arctic Ocean primary production and (2) the need for improved freshwater forcing, stratification, and small‐scale circulation in Arctic Ocean state estimates.