A Spitsbergen Salt Marsh
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A Spitsbergen Salt Marsh: With Observations on the Ecological Phenomena Attendant on the Emergence of Land from the Sea Author(s): John Walton Source: Journal of Ecology, Vol. 10, No. 1 (May, 1922), pp. 109-121 Published by: British Ecological Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2255433 Accessed: 27-06-2016 09:30 UTC Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. British Ecological Society, Wiley are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Journal of Ecology This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 09:30:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 109 A SPITSBERGEN SALT MARSH: WITH OBSERVATIONS ON THE ECOLOGICAL PHENOMENA ATTENDANT ON THE EMERGENCE OF LAND FROM THE SEA1 BY JOHN WALTON, B.A. H'utchinson Research Student, St John's College, Cantab. (With Plates VI, VII and six Figures in the Text.) The area of land where these observations were made lies near the centre of the western portion of the archipelago of Spitsbergen in lat. 780 39' N., long. 160 45' E. at the head of Klaas Billen Bay in the angle between it and its branch Adolf Bay (Fig. 1). Klaas Billen Bay opens into Ice Fjord, one of the large fjords of the west coast of Spitsbergen. PRINCE CHFARLES FORELANID N THE GREENLAND SEA < ICE FJORD ,.,-la1,1z8W"""' (CAPE NAPIER, T H S HORDsENC; DICKSSONLAND SOUND AoOLF I 50 KILOMiETRES FrG. 1. Map of Ice Fjord, West Spitsbergen. The main object of these investigations was to obtain some data for a detailed comparison of an arctic salt marsh with a salt marsh in Britain (5). The plane table survey which was made will make it possible for a future observer to determine the rate at which the vegetation develops. 1 "Results of the Oxford University Expedition to Spitsbergen 1921," No. 8. This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 09:30:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 110 A Spitsbergen Salt lMarsh Raised beaches are a common feature in the topography of Spitsbergen and a great deal of the vegetation is found on this type of ground. It was therefore a matter of interest to trace the development of the vegetation from its initial stages at a place where the land was just emerging. The slope of the emerging land is slight, so that a small vertical rise exposes a large area for colonisation (P1. VI, Fig. 1). A line of boulders shelters the outer mud flats of the marsh from waves from the bay (Fig. 2). In addition the middle and inner mud flats on which the land flora is developing are sheltered by the shingle banks which leave the main bank at X, Y, Z (Fig. 2) and extend landwards across to the heavily silted area on the other side of the mud flats [ s ~~~~~~~~~ADOLF BAkY l eCAPE NAPIRIE BA KLAPS BILLEN BAY mrT _----- -;6 W v! t t --,s[ S 1I'.:'.' S l~ ~ ~ ~~~~~' / M U D FLA.T S ."OO VEGETATION / / FIG. 2. Diagram of the central portion of P1. VI, Fig. 1. The positions of Cape Napier and Adolf Bay are marked in Fig. 1. The length of shore-line represented is about 1 kilometre. (Fig. 2). To the N.E. about a kilometre distant from the marsh the Norden- skj old Glacier reaches Adolf Bay and the proximity to this large mass of ice and to the ice-covered interior beyond is an impgrtant factor in the tempera- ture relations of the area. The mountains on each side of the Bay are on an average about 2500 ft. high and cause the direction of the wind to be either from the south and the Atlantic or down off the cold interior of the Archipelago. The effect of this can be seen on plants such as Dryas octopetala (1) which grow on the exposed parts of the raised shingle beaches. The plants develop their branch system horizontally, spreading towards the south prostrate over the ground, and bearing leaves and flowers on the margin of the plant facing south. In some places the plants of Dryas form a system of parallel lines at right angles to the prevalent wind and give the appearance of waves (P1. VII, This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 09:30:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY VOL. X, PLATE VI s w L FIG. i. View from Mt Campbell, taken hromna point 8oo ft. above sea-level. Above the centre Cape Scott and the raised shingle beach system; in the foreground banded sedimentary rocks; between the twvo the silted areas showinor the courses of the streams. Photos by .7 W. FIG. 2. Pool between Pools V and VI, showing indications of colonisation by Eriophorum sckeuckzeri and Dufiontiaflskeriz In the background tussocks of Salix are evident. WALTON-A SPITSBERGEN SALT MARSH. This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 09:30:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms JOHN WALTON 111 Fig. 3). The origin of this formation is probably due to the fact that seedlings are only able to establish themselves among the prostrate branches of an already established plant (Fig. 3). Plants which shelter one another at the sides in a continuous wave front will be in a more advantageous position to withstand desiccation than isolated plants, so that if two or three plants happen to get into this formation their arrangement will tend to be conserved, while isolated plants will tend to die off. Soundings have been made in Adolf Bay and a depth of 108 fathoms has been recorded near the middle. The depth gradually diminishes until the line of boulders is reached (Fig. 2). These are covered only at high tide. Opposite the line of boulders on the other side of the mud flats the shore consists of a steep bank of clay overlaid with relatively well irrigated silt having a COL-D WI ND AL c FIG. 3. The small circles represent the point of establishment of a plant of Dryas; -the shaded area the portions of the plant bearing living leaves and the part enclosed by the broken line the prostrate branch system which becomes covered with Lichens. richer growth of plants than the raised shingle beach system. From the top of this bank the land gradually rises to the base of the mountains about half-a-mile distant. The mud flats which lie to the landward of the line of boulders are uncovered at low tide when they appear as flat stretches of clayey silt with shallow pools. The raised shingle beach which extends for many miles down this side of Klaas Billen Bay comes to an end at Cape Napier (Fig. 2). In this portion of its length it consists essentially of an inclined plane which slopes gradually from Bruce City (Fig. 2), where it is about 15 ft. above the sea-level, to Cape Napier, where it is 4 or 5 ft. above sea-level. Opposite Bruce City there is a flat lower beach which on the average is about 3 ft. above tide-level. Lateral arms of shingle running more or less at right angles to the main bank extend on to the mud flats and are continued by a series of shingle banks across to the other side where they are covered This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 09:30:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms 112 A Spitsbergen Salt Marsh RAISED BEACHI OF CLAY AND *:rTTTI:TIT TITTTTTN7?T STuN ES ?0 OUTER MUD FLATS o 0 SCALE BARE C 0, ,00 FET SHTNCL.E. ' o0 0 0 0 0 0000r 0 000 g 0) 0000000000000 0 00 0 0 0 00 00 000 000C. 0 ~~~~~~~00 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0000000. O"00 00 000o,00 000 00 o 000 0000 o00 TH, WS H t CN G0 I E ,ol )C o,5, Xf 0 00,.. 0.) / ',0...... .~~: ~ = -0 0 0 00 00. FTC.. ~ Got\< ETC NIDLO D MUD"' NE--:MUD FLA T S :FLATS .4L 00 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3~~~~~~ 0 o0 FOOL 0~~~~~~~~~~0C 00 (I 0 o0 PIL0 SHIRGI.E o C,0HIOETDRFTIN - LICHENS 0~- 0 0~~~~~~~~~00 0~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~o 1N04 lNE taleSurey oeOO ENLARGE FRT ARE RON FOOD ARE O 0G 4. PlanY-abNePARKey This content downloaded from 137.99.31.134 on Mon, 27 Jun 2016 09:30:20 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms JOHN WALTON 113 with silt brought down by the streams from the mountains. These shingle banks have acted as barriers by which a certain amount of water is retained when the tide falls, forming permanent pools. Of these permanent pools I, II, III, IV (Fig. 4) are still flooded by the tide whereas those at the upper end of the series of pools (Fig. 2)' V, VI, VII are now removed from tidal influence and contain fresh water. The raised shingle beaches are sculptured on the surface by slight depressions which run from the landward side across to the seaward side following a curved course.