Abundance, biomass and activity of the small-sized benthic organisms (bacteria to meiofauna, including foraminifera) was studied in summer 1998 during the expedition ARK XIV/1a to the Amerasian area of the perennially ice covered central Arctic Ocean. With the help of two icebreakers, the German research vessel POLARSTERN and the Russian nuclear-powered ARCTICA, it was possible to reach this remote, heavily ice-covered region in order to carry out the first benthic investigations. These focus on effects on the benthic community of the expected low food availability under perennial ice coverage. Bacterial and meiofaunal abundances were determined by direct counting. Biomass determinations on bacteria and nematodes were undertaken by size-imaging techniques. In addition biochemical analyses were carried out to estimate food availability (as sediment-bound chloroplastic pigments indicating phytodetritus) at the sea floor, the total microbial biomass (TMB; i.e. the total amount of sediment inhabiting bacteria, flagellata, protozoa and small metazoa, estimated by phospholipid quantification) and the potential bacterial activity (turnover rates of ester-cleaving exoenzymes). Concentrations of chloroplastic pigment equivalents (CPE) in the main target area (Alpa-Ridge) ranged between 0.10 ± 0.02 and 0.17 ± 0.04 μg/ml. A 2-3 times higher concentration was determined at a station on the Lomonosov Ridge crest (0.40 ± 0.15 μg/ml). The standing stock of meiobenthic organisms (including foraminiferans) was extremely low and varied between 72 ± 17 individuals 10 cm-2 in the deep Makarov Basin (3,170 m) and 190 ± 56 individuals 10 cm-2 on the Alpha Ridge (1,470 m). Significantly higher numbers (U-test, p = 0.049) were found on the Lomonosov Ridge (297 ± 82 individuals 10 cm-2). Meiobenthic abundances from the area of investigations, were up to ten times lower than those reported from non-ice covered deep-sea regions. However a significant water depth depending decrease of meiobenthic abundances was still detectable. A comparison of biomass data determined by volumetric measurements and biochemical methods showed that about 67% of the TMB are held by organisms of nanofauna size (2-32 μm), approx. 32% belongs to bacteria. Only 0.5-1.5% of the TMB were held by metazoan meiofauna.