Striking contrasts were observed between the northern and southern regions of the shelf. The southern region was dominated numerically by the North Atlantic species Calanus finmarchicus, while species of Arctic origin (C. glacialis, C. hyperboreus, Metridia longa) dominated in the northern region. The polynya itself was dominated by the omnivoreM. longa . Fundamentally different pathways for the cycling of carbon may exist in the northern and southern regions. Copepod communities may utilize much of the primary production in the south but only a small proportion of the primary production in the polynya, where significant proportions may be unconsumed.