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Phytoplankton Seasonal Dynamics in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard and the Adjacent Shelf

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The Ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard

Part of the book series: Advances in Polar Ecology ((AVPE,volume 2))

Abstract

Phytoplankton phenology is a key driver of biological and chemical processes in marine ecosystems because it directly affects cycling of nutrients, the strength of the biological carbon pump, and energy transfer to higher tropic levels. However, phytoplankton time-series from the Arctic are scant, thus limiting our ability to link phytoplankton phenology to environmental variability. Kongsfjorden on the west coast of Spitsbergen is an established coastal monitoring site at the entrance to the Arctic Ocean. In this review we have compiled previously published phytoplankton investigations, chlorophyll fluorescence time-series data and unpublished phytoplankton data covering the years 2002–2014 from Kongsfjorden and the shelf outside the fjord to elaborate the most pertinent environmental factors responsible for the seasonal and inter-annual variability in phytoplankton bloom dynamics, biomass and species composition. In general, phytoplankton dynamics in Kongsfjorden follow the classic spring-bloom paradigm, with the main biomass peak in April–May dominated by spore-forming diatom species and the colony-forming haptophyte Phaeocystis pouchetii, followed by a diverse, but low biomass community characterised by dinoflagellates and small flagellates and their protozoan grazers during summer. Despite this general trend, phytoplankton phenology is subject to large inter-annual variability with no clear long-term trend. This variability can be mainly attributed to variability in the magnitude and depth of Atlantic Water (AW) inflow, sea ice cover and glacier melt-water discharge. We have shown the impact of environmental variability on phytoplankton phenology, but high-resolution monitoring of annual cycles over many years is required to resolve the ephemeral variations of phytoplankton populations in space and time against the backdrop of climate change.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the captain and crew of RV Lance and RV Helmer Hanssen for their assistance at sea. The Norwegian Polar Institute provided the summer CTD, Chl a, nutrient and phytoplankton data from 2009–2014 through the Environmental Monitoring of Svalbard and Jan Mayen (MOSJ) program. The summer Chl a, nutrient and phytoplankton data can be found at the Norwegian Data Centre (doi: https://data.npolar.no/dataset/2bff82dc-22b9-41c0-8348-220e7d6ca4f4).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Else N. Hegseth, Svein Kristiansen & Finlo Cottier

  2. Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway

    Philipp Assmy

  3. Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland

    Józef M. Wiktor & Józef Wiktor Jr

  4. Akvaplan-niva A/S, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway

    Eva Leu

  5. Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, Bodø, Norway

    Vigdis Tverberg

  6. The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, Norway

    Tove M. Gabrielsen & Ragnheid Skogseth

  7. Scottish Association for Marine Science, Scottish Oceans Institute, Oban, UK

    Finlo Cottier

Authors
  1. Else N. Hegseth
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  2. Philipp Assmy
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  3. Józef M. Wiktor
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  4. Józef Wiktor Jr
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  5. Svein Kristiansen
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  6. Eva Leu
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  7. Vigdis Tverberg
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  8. Tove M. Gabrielsen
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  9. Ragnheid Skogseth
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  10. Finlo Cottier
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Else N. Hegseth .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway

    Haakon Hop

  2. Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany

    Christian Wiencke

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Hegseth, E.N. et al. (2019). Phytoplankton Seasonal Dynamics in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard and the Adjacent Shelf. In: Hop, H., Wiencke, C. (eds) The Ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Advances in Polar Ecology, vol 2. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46425-1_6

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