Variability and decadal trends in the Isfjorden (Svalbard) ocean climate and circulation – An indicator for climate change in the European Arctic

Skogseth, Ragnheid; Olivier, Léa; Nilsen, Frank; Falck, Eva; Fraser, Neil; Tverberg, Vigdis; Ledang, Anna Birgitta; Vader, Anna; Jonassen, Marius O.; Søreide, Jon Arne; Cottier, Finlo; Berge, Jørgen; Иванов, Б. В.; Falk‐Petersen, Stig

doi:10.1016/j.pocean.2020.102394

Cited by 78 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Although entrainment rate was low, it substantially increased summer primary production in Kongsfjorden (Halbach et al, 2019). In spite of the low discharge and entrainment rate of our study, subglacial upwelling appears to be the main mechanism to replenish bottom water with high nutrient concentrations to the surface and can substantially increase spring primary production due to; i) the absence of any other terrestrials inputs, ii) Atlantic water blocked by a shallow sill (Skogseth et al, 2020), iii) very weak tidal currents (Kowalik et al, 2015), and iv) wind mixing blocked by sea ice in Billefjorden.…”

Section: Importance Of Subglacial Upwelling Under Sea Icecontrasting

confidence: 53%

“…CC BY 4.0 License. signature as the DLAW, but depleted in nutrients (Skogseth et al, 2020). Our mixing calculations estimate that % of the SG water m under the sea ice was derived by SGO, which pulled 1.6 times more (53 %) DLAW with it during upwelling.…”

Section: Potential Magnitude Of Subglacial Upwellingmentioning

confidence: 75%

“…The homogenous temperature and salinity water column profiles at IE and NG stations indicate the presence of only one water mass (Local Arctic water, Skogseth et al, 2020). The only additional water mass was subglacial meltwater (salinity of 0 PSU) mixed into the surface layer of SG.…”

Section: Physical Parametersmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Additional potential freshwater sources could be related to basal glacial ice melt of glacier fronts (Holmes et al, 2019;Sutherland et al, 2019) or icebergs (Moon et al, 2018). However, in the absence of Atlantic water inflow, which is blocked in Billefjorden by a shallow sill depth at the entrance of Billefjorden (Skogseth et al, 2020), water temperatures were consistently below freezing point (max -0.2 ˚C) and no Atlantic inflow water was detected at any station, which does not allow basal glacial ice to melt.…”

Section: Indications For Subglacial Upwellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The amount of upwelling was estimated using hydrographic data. In our study, three water masses were distinguished; i) subglacial outflow (SGO) with low salinity (0 PSU) relatively high temperatures (>0 ˚C) and high silicate concentrations (Cape et al,2019), (ii) deep local Arctic water (DLAW) with low temperatures (-1.7 ˚C) high salinities (34.6 PSU) and high nutrient concentrations (Skogseth et al, 2020), and iii) surface local Arctic water (SLAW) with the same temperature and salinity https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-326 Preprint. Discussion started: 5 November 2020 c Author(s) 2020.…”

Section: Potential Magnitude Of Subglacial Upwellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subglacial upwelling in winter/spring increases under-ice primary production

Vonnahme

Persson

Dietrich

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Abstract. Subglacial upwelling of nutrient rich bottom water is known to support high summer primary production in Arctic fjord systems. However, during the winter/spring season, the importance of subglacial upwelling has not been considered yet. We hypothesized that subglacial upwelling under sea ice is present in winter/spring and sufficient to increase phytoplankton primary productivity. We evaluated the effects of the subglacial upwelling on primary production in a seasonally fast ice covered Svalbard fjord (Billefjorden) influenced by a tidewater outlet glacier in April/May 2019. We found clear evidence for subglacial upwelling. Although the estimated entrainment factor (1.6) and total fluxes were lower than in summer studies, we observed substantial impact on the fjord ecosystem and primary production. The subglacial meltwater leads to a salinity stratified surface layer and sea ice formation with low bulk salinity and permeability. The combination of the stratified surface layer, a two-fold higher under-ice irradiance, and higher N and Si concentrations at the glacier front supported two orders of magnitude higher primary production (42.6 mg C m−2 d−1) compared to a marine reference site at the fast ice edge. The nutrient supply increased primary production by approximately 30 %. The brackish water sea ice at the glacier front with its low bulk salinity contained a reduced brine volume, limiting the inhabitable place and nutrient exchange with the underlying seawater compared to full marine sea ice. Microbial and algal communities were substantially different in subglacial influenced water and sea ice compared to the marine reference site, sharing taxa with the subglacial outflow water. We suggest that with climate change, the retreat of tidewater glaciers could lead to decreased under-ice phytoplankton primary production, while sea ice algae production and biomass may become increasingly important.

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Section: Importance Of Subglacial Upwelling Under Sea Icecontrasting

confidence: 53%

Section: Potential Magnitude Of Subglacial Upwellingmentioning

confidence: 75%

Section: Physical Parametersmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Indications For Subglacial Upwellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Potential Magnitude Of Subglacial Upwellingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Subglacial upwelling in winter/spring increases under-ice primary production

Vonnahme

Persson

Dietrich

et al. 2020

Preprint

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As the Arctic becomes boreal: ongoing shifts in a high‐Arctic seabird community

Descamps

Strøm

2021

Ecology

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The Arctic is currently experiencing the most rapid warming on Earth. Arctic species communities are expected to be restructured with species adapted to warmer conditions spreading poleward and, if already present, becoming more abundant. We tested this prediction using long-term monitoring data (2009-2018) from nine of the most common seabird species breeding in the High Arctic Svalbard archipelago. This region is characterized by rapidly warming ocean temperatures, declining sea-ice concentrations and an increasing influence of Atlantic waters. Concurrent with these environmental changes, we found a shift in the Svalbard seabird community, with an increase in abundance of boreal species (defined here as species breeding commonly in temperate environments) and a decline in arctic species (species breeding predominantly in the Arctic).Combined with previous observations from lower trophic levels, our results confirmed that part of the Arctic fauna is moving from an arctic to a boreal (or north temperate) state, a process referred to as a "borealization". Spatial variations exist among colonies for some species, indicating that local conditions may affect the trajectories of specific populations and potentially counter-balance the consequences of large-scale climate warming.

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Glacial retreat and rising temperatures are limiting the expansion of temperate kelp species in the future Arctic

Niedzwiedz

Bischof

2023

Limnology & Oceanography

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Kelps act as ecosystem engineers on many polar rocky shore coastlines. The underwater light climate and temperature are the main drivers for their vertical and latitudinal distribution. With temperatures rising globally, an Arctic expansion of temperate kelp species and an accelerating glacial melt is predicted. It was our aim to investigate the effects of retreating glaciers and rising temperatures on the potential habitat of kelps in Arctic fjords. We analyzed the underwater light climate of areas being influenced by different stages of glacial retreat (sea-terminating glacier, land-terminating glacier, coastal water) in Arctic Kongsfjorden. We observed reduced light intensities and a changed spectral composition in glacial meltwater plumes, potentially resulting in an upward shift of the lower depth limit of kelp, counteracting the predicted biomass increase in the Arctic. Furthermore, we studied temperature-related changes in light-use characteristics in two kelp species (Alaria esculenta, Saccharina latissima) at 3 C, 7 C, and 11 C. Rising temperatures lead to a significant increase of the compensation irradiance of A. esculenta. The dark respiration of S. latissima increased significantly, correlating with a decreasing carbon content. We detected no differences in photosynthetic rates, although the chlorophyll a concentration of A. esculenta was $ 78% higher compared to S. latissima. Ultimately, temperatureinduced changes in kelps light-use characteristics might lead to a changed species composition, as we found A. esculenta better adapted to polar conditions. We conclude that the deterioration of the underwater light climate and the temperature increase may drive substantial changes of the future Arctic kelp forest structure.

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Variability and decadal trends in the Isfjorden (Svalbard) ocean climate and circulation – An indicator for climate change in the European Arctic

Cited by 78 publications

References 74 publications

Subglacial upwelling in winter/spring increases under-ice primary production

Subglacial upwelling in winter/spring increases under-ice primary production

As the Arctic becomes boreal: ongoing shifts in a high‐Arctic seabird community

Glacial retreat and rising temperatures are limiting the expansion of temperate kelp species in the future Arctic

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