Variability in transport of terrigenous material on the shelves and the deep Arctic Ocean during the Holocene

Carolyn Wegner,

Katrina E. Bennett,

Anne de Vernal,

Matthias Forwick,

Michael Fritz,

Maija Heikkilä,

Hugues Lantuit,

Michał Laska,

Mateusz Moskalik,

Matt O'Regan,

Agnieszka Promińska,

Volker Rachold,

Jorien E. Vonk,

Magdalena Łacka,

Joanna Pawłowska,

Kirstin Werner

Published: Dec. 9, 2015

Arctic coastal zones serve as a sensitive filter for terrigenous matter input onto the shelves via river discharge and coastal erosion. This material is further distributed across the Arctic by ocean currents and sea ice. The coastal regions are particularly vulnerable to changes related to recent climate change. We compiled a pan-Arctic review that looks into the changing Holocene sources, transport processes and sinks of terrigenous sediment in the Arctic Ocean. Existing palaeoceanographic studies demonstrate how climate warming and the disappearance of ice sheets during the early Holocene initiated eustatic sea-level rise that greatly modified the physiography of the Arctic …

Summertime plankton ecology in Fram Strait - a compilation of long- and short-term observations

Eva-Maria Nöthig,

Astrid Bracher,

Anja Engel,

Katja Metfies,

Barbara Niehoff,

Ilka Peeken,

Eduard Bauerfeind,

Alexandra Cherkasheva,

Steffi Gäbler-Schwarz,

Kristin Hardge,

Estelle Kilias,

Angelina Kraft,

Yohannes Mebrahtom Kidane,

Catherine Lalande,

Judith Piontek,

Karolin Thomisch,

Mascha Wurst

Published: Dec. 1, 2015

Between Greenland and Spitsbergen, Fram Strait is a region where cold ice-covered Polar Water exits the Arctic Ocean with the East Greenland Current (EGC) and warm Atlantic Water enters the Arctic Ocean with the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC). In this compilation, we present two different data sets from plankton ecological observations in Fram Strait: (1) long-term measurements of satellite-derived (1998–2012) and in situ chlorophyll a (chl a) measurements (mainly summer cruises, 1991–2012) plus protist compositions (a station in WSC, eight summer cruises, 1998–2011); and (2) short-term measurements of a multidisciplinary approach that includes traditional plankton investigations, remote sensing, zooplankton, microbiological …

On-site and in situ remediation technologies applicable to petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites in the Antarctic and Arctic

Danielle Camenzuli,

Benjamin L. Freidman

Published: Sept. 7, 2015

Petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites, associated with the contemporary and legacy effects of human activities, remain a serious environmental problem in the Antarctic and Arctic. The management of contaminated sites in these regions is often confounded by the logistical, environmental, legislative and financial challenges associated with operating in polar environments. In response to the need for efficient and safe methods for managing contaminated sites, several technologies have been adapted for on-site or in situ application in these regions. This article reviews six technologies which are currently being adapted or developed for the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites in the Antarctic …

Status and trends in the structure of Arctic benthic food webs

Monika Ke ̨dra,

Charlotte Moritz,

Emily S. Choy,

Carmen David,

Renate Degen,

Steven Duerksen,

Ingrid Ellingsen,

Barbara Górska,

Jacqueline M. Grebmeier,

Dubrava Kirievskaya,

Dick van Oevelen,

Kasia Piwosz,

Annette Samuelsen,

Jan Marcin Węsławski

Published: May 20, 2015

Ongoing climate warming is causing a dramatic loss of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean, and it is projected that the Arctic Ocean will become seasonally ice-free by 2040. Many studies of local Arctic food webs now exist, and with this review paper we aim to synthesize these into a large-scale assessment of the current status of knowledge on the structure of various Arctic marine food webs and their response to climate change, and to sea-ice retreat in particular. Key drivers of ecosystem change and potential consequences for ecosystem functioning and Arctic marine food webs are identified along the sea-ice …

Regional passive seismic monitoring reveals dynamic glacier activity on Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Andreas Köhler,

Christian Weidle,

Steven J. Gibbons,

Christopher Nuth,

Johannes Schweitzer

Published: Dec. 4, 2015

Dynamic glacier activity is increasingly observed through passive seismic monitoring. We analysed near-regional-scale seismicity on the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard to identify seismic icequake signals and to study their spatial–temporal distribution within the 14-year period from 2000 until 2013. This is the first study that uses seismic data recorded on permanent broadband stations to detect and locate icequakes in different regions of Spitsbergen, the main island of the archipelago. A temporary local seismic network and direct observations of glacier calving and surging were used to identify icequake sources. We observed a high number of icequakes with clear spectral peaks between …

Characterization of sea-ice kinematic in the Arctic outflow region using buoy data

Ruibo Lei,

Petra Heil,

Jia Wang,

Zhanhai Zhang,

Qun Li,

Na Li

Published: Jan. 27, 2016

Data from four ice-tethered buoys deployed in 2010 were used to investigate sea-ice motion and deformation from the Central Arctic to Fram Strait. Seasonal and long-term changes in ice kinematics of the Arctic outflow region were further quantified using 42 ice-tethered buoys deployed between 1979 and 2011. Our results confirmed that the dynamic setting of the transpolar drift stream (TDS) and Fram Strait shaped the motion of the sea ice. Ice drift was closely aligned with surface winds, except during quiescent conditions, or during short-term reversal of the wind direction opposing the TDS. Meridional ice velocity south of 85°N showed …

Environmental significance of Ophiomorpha in a transgressive - regressive sequence of the Spitsbergen Paleocene

Jenȍ Nagy,

Francisco J. Rodriguez Tovar,

Matias Reolid

Published: April 6, 2016

The study focuses on occurrences of Ophiomorpha burrows in a transgressive–regressive succession composing the Early Paleocene Firkanten Formation deposited in paralic, prodelta to delta front conditions in the Central Basin of Spitsbergen. The burrows colonize sandstones of the Todalen Member at four sites and belong to two ichnospecies: Ophiomorpha cf. nodosa, forming dominantly vertical shafts; and O. cf. irregulaire, consisting of horizontal sinuous tunnels ending in subconical shafts. Both species are observed in shoreface sandstones deposited as a barrier bar. Lithological features and stratigraphic positions suggest that the trace-makers preferentially colonized high-energy sand environments. Foraminiferal faunas occurring below and above …

Tourism and Arctic Observation Systems: exploring the relationships

Suzanne de la Barre,

Edward Huijbens,

Machiel Lamers,

Daniela Liggett,

Dieter Müller,

Albina Pashkevich,

Emma Stewart,

Patrick Maher,

Jackie Dawson,

Kevin Hillmer-Pegram

Published: March 1, 2016

The Arctic is affected by global environmental change and also by diverse interests from many economic sectors and industries. Over the last decade, various actors have attempted to explore the options for setting up integrated and comprehensive trans-boundary systems for monitoring and observing these impacts. These Arctic Observation Systems (AOS) contribute to the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of environmental change and responsible social and economic development in the Arctic. The aim of this article is to identify the two-way relationship between AOS and tourism. On the one hand, tourism activities account for diverse changes across a broad spectrum of …

Depositional environment, ichnological features and oxygenation of Permian to earliest Triassic marine sediments in central Spitsbergen, Svalbard

Alfred Uchman,

Nils-Martin Hanken,

Jesper Kresten Nielsen,

Sten-Andreas Grundvåg,

Stefan Piasecki

Published: May 25, 2016

Late Early Permian–lowermost Triassic carbonate, siliceous (spiculites) and clastic marine sediments in the Marmierfjellet area (Isfjorden, central Spitsbergen) contain a relatively diverse and abundant trace fossil assemblage providing important information about the depositional processes. The Vøringen Member (Late Artinskian–Kungurian) of the Kapp Starostin Formation (Late Artinskian–? Changhsingian) contains trace fossils (Nereites, Phycosiphon, Zoophycos and Arenicolites—common in tempestites) typical of the proximal–archetypal Cruziana ichnofacies, which indicates lower shoreface. Nereites, Phycosiphon and Zoophycos, accompanied by other rare trace fossils, characterize the Svenskegga and Hovtinden members of the Kapp Starostin Formation. They are interpreted as the distal Cruziana ichnofacies, possibly transitional to the …

Arctic plants are capable of sustained responses to long-term warming

Robert T. Barrett,

Robert D. Hollister

Published: May 5, 2016

Previous studies have shown that Arctic plants typically respond to warming with increased growth and reproductive effort and accelerated phenology, and that the magnitude of these responses is likely to change over time. We investigated the effects of long-term experimental warming on plant growth (leaf length) and reproduction (inflorescence height, reproductive phenology and reproductive effort) using 17–19 years of measurements collected as part of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) at sites near Barrow and Atqasuk, Alaska. During the study period, linear regressions indicated non-significant tendencies towards warming air temperatures at our study sites. Results of our meta-analyses on the effect …