D) following the region definitions mapped in Fig. 4.1 for western Fram Strait (W Fram, 10.8k data points), eastern Fram Strait (E Fram, 10.5k), Barents Sea (67.0k), Kara Sea (39.9k), Laptev Sea (21.2k) [...] Ocean and Fram Strait. In May 2017, the eastern Fram Strait is already ice-free (Fig. 4.4 panel A). A phytoplankton bloom forms in the northern Atlantic and in 4.3. RESULTS 31 the MIZ in the Fram Strait, [...] regional differences as, e.g., in the western Fram Strait, the trends seem to be shaped by the sea ice retreat and light availabil- ity, whereas in the eastern Fram Strait, nutrient availability and remine