<p>Long-term shifts in zooplankton phenology and water temperature dynamics over the last 60 years have been documented at the coastal monitoring station D1 in the White Sea. However, data on long-term changes in the open deep regions of the sea remain scarce. In this study we compared oceanographic and zooplankton data in the deep part of Kandalaksha Bay between two periods, 1978–1983 and 2012–2021, in June and August. We also compared observations from the deep-water station with those from the coastal monitoring station D1 to evaluate similarity of environmental conditions and cold-water zooplankton dynamics between these stations within the upper water mass. Our analysis revealed a significant increase of temperature in the layer beneath the upper water mass between the two study periods. Concurrently, changes in zooplankton community structure indicated earlier and deeper seasonal vertical migrations of cold-water species in summer. Hydrological conditions in the layer 0–50&#xa0;m in the coastal and open-sea stations were highly coherent in both June and August. Analysis of community structure revealed that zooplankton communities differed between D1 and deep stations marginally. However, long-term community structure changes were similar at these stations. Some difference of the long-term community dynamics was revealed in the upper 50-m layer between June and August, which indicates indirectly long-term phenological changes. Overall, our results suggest that the White Sea responds in a spatially coherent manner to recent climate-driven environmental changes.</p>