Changes in kelp forest biomass and depth distribution in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, between 1996–1998 and 2012–2014 reflect Arctic warming

Arctic West Spitsbergen in Svalbard is currently experiencing gradual warming due to climate change showing decreased landfast sea-ice and increased sedimentation. In order to document possible changes in 2012–2014, we partially repeated a quantitative diving study from 1996 to 1998 in the kelp fore...

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Veröffentlicht in:Polar biology Jg. 39; H. 11; S. 2021 - 2036
Hauptverfasser: Bartsch, Inka, Paar, Martin, Fredriksen, Stein, Schwanitz, Max, Daniel, Claudia, Hop, Haakon, Wiencke, Christian
Format: Journal Article
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.11.2016
Springer
Springer Nature B.V
Schlagworte:
Algae
Biomass
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Climate change
Ecology
Forest biomass
Global temperature changes
Laminaria digitata
Life Sciences
Microbiology
Ocean temperature
Oceanography
Original Paper
Plant Sciences
Sea ice
Sedimentation & deposition
Zonation
Zoology
Arctic region
PNE, Norway, Svalbard, Spitsbergen
PNE, Norway, Svalbard, Spitsbergen, Ny-Aalesund, Kongsfjorden
PN, Arctic
In situ irradiation
Laminariales
Zonation
Biomass
Age structure
ISSN:0722-4060, 1432-2056
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Zusammenfassung:Arctic West Spitsbergen in Svalbard is currently experiencing gradual warming due to climate change showing decreased landfast sea-ice and increased sedimentation. In order to document possible changes in 2012–2014, we partially repeated a quantitative diving study from 1996 to 1998 in the kelp forest at Hansneset, Kongsfjorden, along a depth gradient between 0 and 15 m. The seaweed biomass increased between 1996/1998 and 2012/2013 with peak in kelp biomass shifted to shallower depth, from 5 to 2.5 m. The kelp biomass at 2.5 m was 8.2-fold higher in 2012/2013 (14 kg fresh biomass m −2 ) than in 1996/1998 and mostly due to an increase in the kelp Laminaria digitata . This resulted in a very high density of 2- to 8-year-old kelp (70 ind. m −2 ) and a high leaf area index of nearly 10 at 2.5 m. The entire zonation seemed to have shifted upwards to shallower depth, since also the lower depth limit of most dominant brown algae was shallower as well as the biomass maximum of several taxa. The cumulated annual photosynthetic active radiation at 15 m depth (42 mol m −2  year −1 ) determined the current depth limit of kelps. Changes also resulted in an altered seaweed community pattern. The complex pattern of change was probably driven by opposing effects of co-acting environmental drivers, namely lack of ice-scouring, elongation of the open-water period and deterioration of the underwater irradiance climate. The results are interpreted as a consequence of Arctic warming probably reflecting a typical scenario for change along other Arctic shores in near future.
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ISSN:0722-4060
1432-2056
DOI:10.1007/s00300-015-1870-1