Influence of glacier type on bloom phenology in two Southwest Greenland fjords

Stuart-Lee, Alice; Mortensen, John; Pedersen, T‐J.; Middelburg, Jack J.; Soetaert, Karline; Hopwood, Mark J.; Engel, Anja; Meire, Lorenz

doi:10.1016/j.ecss.2023.108271

Cited by 6 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 64 publications

(100 reference statements)

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“…might have prevented deep-water nutrients entering the necessary water-depth for phytoplankton growth. Similar stratified conditions are today created in fjords with land-terminating glaciers, for example, Ameralik fjord and the Young Sound, where meltwater runoff increases stratification that limits the summer bloom (Meire et al, 2017;Sejr et al, 2022;Stuart-Lee et al, 2023). In addition to changes in meltwater discharge, alterations in the glaciers grounding line depth and ocean heat content can also control the influence of subglacial plumes (Carroll et al, 2016).…”

Section: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatologymentioning

confidence: 80%

Climate Variability and Glacier Dynamics Linked to Fjord Productivity Changes Over the Last ca. 3300 Years in Nuup Kangerlua, Southwest Greenland

Oksman,

Kvorning,

Pearce

et al. 2024

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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Greenlandic fjords, located between the ice sheet and the ocean, are dynamic systems that can sustain highly variable levels of primary productivity and are sensitive to climate change. In our current climate trajectory, meltwater discharge is expected to significantly increase but its long‐term effects on fjord productivity are still poorly constrained. Paleo‐archives can offer valuable insights into long‐term effects. Here, we present two marine sediment core records from Nuup Kangerlua, Southwest Greenland. Our goal is to better understand to what extent, and on what time‐scales, climate fluctuations and associated glacier dynamic changes have impacted fjord productivity over the past ca. 3300 years. Our multiproxy records include diatom fluxes and assemblage composition, sediment biogeochemistry, and grain‐size distribution. Our study reveals that fjord productivity is tightly linked to regional climate variability; relatively higher productivity levels coincided with mild climate periods whereas the climate cooling of the last millennium led to a decrease in productivity. The diatom records suggest that lower productivity is associated with shorter or less intense summer blooms, increased sea‐ice cover and/or a stratified water column. Diatom assemblages demonstrate cold sea‐surface conditions around 1600 CE that might be linked to local advance of glaciers. Cold conditions and decreasing productivity culminated at 1850 CE, when glaciers in the fjord retreated and high glacial meltwater discharge would have altered the fjord hydrography, likely leading to limited nutrient availability. Our long‐term records support the idea that changing climate and cryosphere conditions have a non‐linear impact on the productivity of Greenlandic fjords.

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Section: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatologymentioning

confidence: 80%

Climate Variability and Glacier Dynamics Linked to Fjord Productivity Changes Over the Last ca. 3300 Years in Nuup Kangerlua, Southwest Greenland

Oksman,

Kvorning,

Pearce

et al. 2024

Paleoceanog and Paleoclimatol

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“…In early September, productivity in Nuup Kangerlua has declined from its summertime peak (Juul‐Pedersen et al., 2015; Meire et al., 2017). In Ameralik, the high turbidity within the fjord through summer (e.g., at 1 m depth for AM10 in 2019: 6.8 mg L −1 in May, 16.0 mg L −1 in August and 9.2 mg L −1 in September, Stuart‐Lee et al., 2023), combined with observations of residual nitrate in the inner‐fjord (up to 1.5 μM), suggests a low‐light, low‐productivity environment where photochemical bleaching is limited and in‐fjord formation of marine CDOM is also limited compared to the other glacier fjords discussed herein.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…No direct comparison of LpPb and total particulate Pb in the same samples is available, but if particle lability did not change over the timescale of particle additions to the fjord, the values herein are at least consistent and would suggest LpPb accounts for roughly 5–60% of total Pb for Kongsfjorden particles. Near‐surface (0–20 m) suspended particle loads in Ameralik and Nuup Kangerlua in September 2019 were 6.09 ± 0.93 mg L −1 and 5.30 ± 0.38 mg L −1 , respectively (Stuart‐Lee et al., 2023). Combined with a mean LpPb suspended particle content of 113 nmol g −1 measured in Ameralik (Table 1), LpPb is approximately present at a mean concentration of ∼0.7 nmol in Ameralik.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These differences could relate to the exact timing of the cruise dates. In May 2019, chl a and fluorescence on the same cruise suggest higher biomass in Ameralik than in Nuup Kangerlua (Stuart‐Lee et al., 2023). The cruise dates herein may therefore have been closer to the peak of the spring bloom in Ameralik.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…meter (WTW) was used to record in situ temperature and salinity. In Ameralik, suspended particle loads were determined by filtering 2 L bulk water samples onto precombusted and preweighed 25 mm GF/F filters (0.7 μm pore size) as reported by Stuart-Lee et al (2023).…”

Section: Physical Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

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Glacier‐Derived Particles as a Regional Control on Marine Dissolved Pb Concentrations

Krause,

Zhu,

Höfer

et al. 2023

JGR Biogeosciences

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Higher than expected concentrations of dissolved lead (dPb) have been consistently observed along glaciated coastlines and it is widely hypothesized that there is a net release of dPb from glacier‐derived sediments. Here we further corroborate that dPb concentrations in diverse locations around west Greenland (3.2–252 pM) and the Western Antarctic Peninsula (7.7–107 pM) appear to be generally higher than can be explained by addition of dPb from glacier‐derived freshwater. The distribution of dPb across the salinity gradient is unlike any other commonly studied trace element (e.g., Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Mn, and Al) implying a dynamic, reversible exchange between dissolved and labile particulate Pb. Incubating a selection of glacier‐derived particles from SW Greenland (Ameralik and Nuup Kangerlua) and Svalbard (Kongsfjorden), with a range of labile particulate Pb (LpPb) content (11–113 nmol g−1), the equivalent of 2–46% LpPb was released as dPb within 24 hr of addition to Atlantic seawater. Over longer time periods, the majority of this dPb was typically readsorbed. Sediment loading was the dominant factor influencing the net release of dPb into seawater, with a pronounced decline in net dPb release efficiency when sediment load increased from 20 to 500 mg L−1. Yet temperature also had some effect with 68 ± 22% higher dPb release at 11°C compared to 4°C. Future regional changes in dPb dynamics may therefore be more sensitive to short‐term suspended sediment dynamics, and potentially temperature changes, than to changing interannual runoff volume.

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Productivity of Spitsbergen fjords ecosystems in summer—Spatial changes of in situ primary production in Kongsfjorden and Hornsund in the period 1994–2019

Dragańska‐Deja,

Stoń‐Egiert,

Wiktor

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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This comprehensive study examines primary production (PP) within the Spitsbergen fjords, Hornsund, and Kongsfjord, over a 25‐year period (1994–2019), across 45 stations and 348 incubation levels at various depths. PP and hydrological parameters were measured at 28 sampling stations in Kongsfjorden and 17 in Hornsund, with the locations of “Glacier,” “Inner,” and “Outer” zones defined to reflect the varying influence of glacial meltwater. Our study revealed spatial and temporal variability in PP, both at the surface and within the water column with very high depth resolution. The highest PP values were observed in the Glacier and Inner zones of Hornsund, particularly in the water layer up to 3 m depth, exceeding 20 mgC m−3 h−1. A notable decline in PP with increasing depth was observed in both fjords, with the Glacier zones displaying the highest productivity at the surface. The study also highlights the influence of glacial meltwater on surface water conditions, affecting the PP in the upper layers of both fjords. The observed gradient in the depth of maximum PP toward the mouth of the fjord varied between the two fjords, with Kongsjord displaying more dynamic variations. The spatial distribution of integrated primary production (Pi) suggested lower productivity in the glacial regions, likely due to light limitation caused by high concentrations of mineral particulate matter. The values of Pi were considerably higher in Hornsund, approximately twice as high overall, with specific emphasis on the Glacier and Inner zones where Pi values were about 6.5 and 2.5 times higher, respectively, when compared to those observed in Kongsfjord.

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Influence of glacier type on bloom phenology in two Southwest Greenland fjords

Cited by 6 publications

References 64 publications

Climate Variability and Glacier Dynamics Linked to Fjord Productivity Changes Over the Last ca. 3300 Years in Nuup Kangerlua, Southwest Greenland

Climate Variability and Glacier Dynamics Linked to Fjord Productivity Changes Over the Last ca. 3300 Years in Nuup Kangerlua, Southwest Greenland

Glacier‐Derived Particles as a Regional Control on Marine Dissolved Pb Concentrations

Productivity of Spitsbergen fjords ecosystems in summer—Spatial changes of in situ primary production in Kongsfjorden and Hornsund in the period 1994–2019

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