The interplay between plankton and particles in the Isfjorden waters influenced by marine- and land-terminating glaciers

Szeligowska, Marlena; Trudnowska, Emilia; Boehnke, Rafał; Dąbrowska, A.; Dragańska‐Deja, Katarzyna; Deja, Kajetan; Darecki, Mirosław; Błachowiak‐Samołyk, Katarzyna

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146491

Cited by 22 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…Regardless of the considered size fraction and the studied fjord system, the distribution patterns of particles and plankton patches was not repeatable in subsequent years on the same locations of transects, except for the permanently greater particles accumulation at glacier fronts (Supplementary Figures 2, 3; Figures 5, 6). This regularity in concentration hot posts could be a results of increased biological production due to an additional supply of nutrients by tidewater glaciers (Halbach et al, 2019;McGovern et al, 2020) and/or increased discharge and flocculation of particles (Trudnowska et al, 2014;Szeligowska et al, 2020;Szeligowska et al, 2021). In general, the observed distribution patterns of plankton and particles did not clearly reflect the patterns of the environmental water structuring (Figure 2).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Cells of matter and life – towards understanding the structuring of particles and plankton patchiness in the Arctic fjords

et al. 2022

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As the environmental conditions are typically not homogenous, especially in coastal regions, they must provide a mosaic of distinct habitats that can be occupied by particles and plankton in a characteristic way. Here we analyze and map the spatio-temporal distribution patterns and the internal structure of 94 patches of various size fractions of particles and plankton studied by fine resolution measurements of two compatible laser counters performed in the upper epipelagial of two Arctic fjords over six summer seasons. Detected patches generally occupied only the minor part of the studied upper water column (on average 12%), and frequently occurred as multi-size-fraction forms. The observed concentrations within the patches were mostly 1.6 times higher than the background concentrations (max 4.1). The patches ranged in size horizontally from 1 to 92 km (median length 12 km) and vertically from 5 to 50 m (median 26 m). Because the designated patches varied in terms of their shapes and internal structure, a novel classification approach to of patches is proposed. Accordingly, seven types of patches were distinguished: Belt, Triangle, Diamond, Flare, Fingers, Flag, and Rosette. The particles and plankton exhibited all types of these distribution patterns, regardless of the size fraction and location. The observed steepening size spectra slopes over years implies that proliferating Atlantic water advection, triggering increasing role of the smallest size fractions, played the crucial role on compositional dynamics on temporal scale. The recurring high concentration patches of particles and plankton near glaciers suggest that their melting, together with biological production, were the strongest factors generating patchiness on the local scale. An observed under several occasions depth differentiation among size fractions building together vertically thin multi-size-fraction patches is an interesting feature for further studies. Even if distribution patterns of particles and plankton did not clearly reflect all patterns in the environmental water structuring, they happened to be related to the presence of glacier runoff, eddy, sea mountain and hot spots of chlorophyll fluorescence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Cells of matter and life – towards understanding the structuring of particles and plankton patchiness in the Arctic fjords

et al. 2022

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“…The major contributors to the total abundance were Gymnodinium spp., Heterocapsa rotundata (both Dinophyceae), Plagioselmis prolonga, Teleaulax sp. (both Cryptophyceae), and other free-living, small cryptophytes and undetermined nanoflagellates, typical for summer West Spitsbergen water [4,14,56,57]. Commonly observed biflagellates (3-7 µm in size), at least some of which are motile morphotypes of P. pouchetii, characterised the termination of a Phaeocystis bloom ([58], Figure 7).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite its relatively high potential for climatic research and logistical availability (close to Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in Svalbard), only a few protists studies were published for Isfjorden [4,[9][10][11][12][13][14]. In this respect, the Kongsfjorden (79 • N) communities are better known, and their sizeable inter-annual variability with no apparent long-term trend, potentially steered by AW inflows, has been already shown (e.g., [15][16][17]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

When a Year Is Not Enough: Further Study of the Seasonality of Planktonic Protist Communities Structure in an Ice-Free High Arctic Fjord (Adventfjorden, West Spitsbergen)

Dąbrowska

Wiktor

et al. 2021

Water

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As a contribution to understanding the ecological framework of protistan seasonal succession patterns, we present the weekly-to-monthly (January–October) light microscopy-based study of nano- and microplanktonic protist communities of Adventfjorden waters in 2013. In general, protist dynamics corresponded to the classic paradigm for the Arctic ice-free waters with extremely low abundance and diversity in winter, with the main abundance and chlorophyll-a peak in April-May, followed by a diverse but low abundant community during summer/autumn. However, the reference of the obtained data to the previously conducted year-round research in 2012 allows us to observe substantial variability in seasonal patterns between the two consecutive years. The most striking difference concerned the spring bloom composition and abundance, with clear domination of Phaeocystis pouchetii in Atlantified fjord waters in 2012 and Bacillariophyceae-dominated (mainly Fragilariopsis, Thalassiosira nordenskioeldii, and, in a lesser extent, also Pseudo-nitzschia seriata) bloom in 2013 when local water prevailed. On the other hand, a surprisingly high share of spring bloom taxa persisted throughout the summer/autumn of 2013 when they co-occurred with typical summer taxa (dinoflagellates and other small flagellates). Their extended growth could, at least in part, result from scarce Ciliophora throughout the season, which, in turn, can be attributed to the high grazing pressure of very numerous meroplankton and mesozooplankton. In light of this, our results may be relevant in discussions proposed for the West Spitsbergen waters link between the Atlantic water inflow and the spring bloom composition, as well as its further progression in the productive season. They also highlight the strong need for further high-resolution monitoring of annual plankton cycles and great caution when looking for phenological patterns within a single year or when interpreting short-term data.

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“…gelatinous zooplankton) are also hindered due to e.g. clogging of their tentacles by marine aggregates 11 , and thus they might not be as successful relative to visual predators 32 as it was previously shown in Norwegian fjords 33 . Additionally, the vertical positioning of zooplankton may be influenced by upwelling, as meltwater at the fronts of marine-terminating glaciers enters the marine environment at depth and forms a buoyant plume that transports zooplankton to the surface.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Synchronized diel vertical migrations during the midnight sun were not observed in Arctic zooplankton 24 – 26 and it is assumed that individuals respond to their own needs rather than as a population. Thus, zooplankton still feeding in the upper water layer can be affected by turbid plumes that control the depth of the euphotic zone, which directly influences primary production 30 as well as phytoplankton composition and distribution 11 . Consequently, it is expected to force primarily herbivorous zooplankton such as Calanus spp.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dark plumes of glacial meltwater affect vertical distribution of zooplankton in the Arctic

Szeligowska

Trudnowska

Boehnke

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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In polar regions, the release of glacial meltwater resulting in turbid plumes is expected to transform coastal waters with numerous consequences on the marine ecosystem. This study aimed to determine the influence of turbidity regimes on the vertical distribution of copepods together with their potential food (chlorophyll a fluorescence) and non-visual predators (gelatinous zooplankton). Hydrography, turbidity, suspended particulate matter and chlorophyll a were studied in July and August 2019 in West Spitsbergen waters (European Arctic). Fine-scale vertical distribution patterns of zooplankton were assessed by an optical counter (LOPC) and underwater camera (UVP) and verified by plankton nets. In waters with the shallow impact of dark plumes, Calanus spp. and gelatinous zooplankton were concentrated in the upper water layers, whereas in areas with a thick turbid layer, they were distributed evenly in the water column. However, chlorophyll a peaks were found to be restricted to the surface in the turbid waters and there were subsurface maxima in the shallow turbidity regime. Regardless of the region, the turbidity regime was a significant factor shaping the vertical distribution of Calanus spp. We speculate that similar trends might be observed in other rapidly emerging turbid ecosystems and urge that future plankton research should also include relatively simple turbidity measurements.

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The interplay between plankton and particles in the Isfjorden waters influenced by marine- and land-terminating glaciers

Cited by 22 publications

References 100 publications

Cells of matter and life – towards understanding the structuring of particles and plankton patchiness in the Arctic fjords

Cells of matter and life – towards understanding the structuring of particles and plankton patchiness in the Arctic fjords

When a Year Is Not Enough: Further Study of the Seasonality of Planktonic Protist Communities Structure in an Ice-Free High Arctic Fjord (Adventfjorden, West Spitsbergen)

Dark plumes of glacial meltwater affect vertical distribution of zooplankton in the Arctic

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