We assessed the impact of sediment load on the abundances and composition of biological communities in near-shore fast ice and underlying waters close to Barrow, Alaska. Based on existing scientific evidence we hypothesized that any disturbance of the sea ice habitat, e.g. by enhanced sediment load, construction of ice roads and gas or oil spills, would likely impact the biological links between ice, water column and sea floor and may, hence, affect the biomass and productivity in all realms. Sampling was conducted in April 2002 and February, April and May 2003 with ice corers, water samplers, plankton nets and sediment corers at two locations which differed mainly in terms of sea ice sediment load.