The Coastal Ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Synopsis of Biological Research Performed at the Koldewey Station in the Years 1991 - 2003
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The coastal ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Synopsis of biological research performed at the Koldewey Station in the years 1991 - 2003 Edited by Christian Wiencke Ber. Polarforsch. Meeresforsch. 492 (2004) ISSN 1618 - 3193 Christian Wiencke (Editor) Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, D-275 15 Bremerhaven, Gerrnany TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................... 1 1. THE ENVIRONMENT OF KONGSFJORDEN Rex, M., von der Gathen, P.: Stratospheric ozone losses over the Arctic ............................................................ 6 Hanelt, D., Bischof, K., Wiencke, C.: The radiation, temperature and salinity regime in Kongsfjorden.......................... 14 Gerland, S., Haas, C., Nicolaus, M., Winther J. G.: Seasonal development of structure and optical surface properties of fast-ice in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard ..................................................................................... 26 Gwynn, J.P., Dowdall, M., Gerland, S., Selnses, 0.,Wiencke, C.: Technetium-99 in Arctic marine algae from Kongsfjorden, Svalbard ................... 35 2. STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE ECOSYSTEM Leya, T., MüllerT., Ling, H.U., Fuhr G: Snow algae from north-western Spitsbergen (Svalbard) ...................................... 46 Wiencke, C., Vögele B., Kovaltchouk, N.A., Hop, H.: Species composition and zonation of marine benthic macroalgae at Hans- neset in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard .......................................................................... 55 Wessels, H., Hagen, W., Wiencke, C., Karsten, U.: Trophic interactions between macroalgae and herbivores from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard) ............................................................................................................. 63 Lippert, H.: Palatability and chemical ecology of abundant marine invertebrates from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard)....................................................................................... 73 Assmann, M.: The sponge community of a semi-submerged cave in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard.. 86 Laudien, J., Herrmann, M., Arntz, W.: Soft bottom community structure and diversity in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard) ......... 91 Sahade, R., Stellfeldt, A., Tatian, M., Laudien, J.: Macro-epibenthic communities and diversity of Arctic Kongsfjorden, Svalbard, in relation to depth and substrate ....................................................................... 103 3. ECOPHYSIOLOGY OF KEY ORGANISMS IN THE ECOSYSTEM Lutz, C., Holzinger, A.: A comparative analysis of photosynthetic pigments and tocopherol of some arctic-alpine plants from the Kongsfjorden area, Spitsbergen, Norway ............. Gordillo, F.J.L., Aguilera, J., Jimenez, C.: Enzymatic acitvities related to nutrient assimilation in common seaweeds of the Arctic ......................................................................................................... Rothe, S., Schumann, R., Karsten, U.: Effect of temperature and photon fluence rate on growth rates of two epiphytic diatom species from Kongsfjorden ...................................................................... 4. EFFECTS OF UV RADIATION ON BIOTA FROM KONGSFJORDEN WängbergS.-A., Gustavson, K.: Photosynthetic and bacterial activity in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard: Dependence of ambient PAR and UV-B radiation ................................................................... Bischof, Km,Hanelt, D.: Impacts of solar ultraviolet-B radiation on marine macroalgae from Kongs- fjorden: Inhibition and acclimation of photosynthetic activity .............................. Van de Poll, W.H., Buma, A. G. J., Breeman, A.M: UVB-induced DNA damage and its repair in marine macroalgae from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard) .................................................................................... Karsten, U., Hoyer, K.: UV-absorbing mycosporine-like amino acids in marine macroalgae and their role in UV protection ........................................................................................... Dummermuth,A.L., Karsten, U., Wiencke, C.: Effects of H202on the green macroalga Chaetomorpha linum (MüllerKützin from Spitsbergen ............................................................................................... Aguilera, J., Wiencke, C., Dummermuth, A.: Biochemical properties of antioxidative enzymes and the effect of radiation conditions in marine macroalgae from Kongsfjorden and other regions ............ Aguilera, J., Hanelt, D., Wiencke, C.: UV effects On growth of macroalgae from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard) .................. 209 Clayton, M.N., Wiencke: UV effects On reproduction of brown algae from Kongsfjorden (Svalbard) ......... 215 ObermüllerB., Abele, D.: Different UVB-tolerance in herbivorous versus carnivorous amphipods from Kongsfjorden...................................................................................................... 222 5. FEEDBACK MECHANISMS FROM THE BIOSPHERE T0 THE ATMOSPHERE Laturnus, F., Mehrtens, G.: Marine macroalgae from Kongsfjorden, Arctic - Comparison of halogenating activity and release of volatile organobromine compounds ................................ 232 Laturnus, F.: On the global importance of marine macroalgae as a source for volatile organohalogens - An extrapolation from screening studies of macroalgae from Kongsfjorden, Arctic ...................................................................................239 Introduction Ny-~lesund(78'55' N, 11'56' E), the world's northernmost permanent human settlement, is situated at Kongsfjorden On north-western Spitsbergen, the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago. Surrounded by mountains and glaciers, Kongsfjorden itself consists of several zones from calving glacier fronts to rocky shores and soft bottom, providing a rich variety of different habitats and, thus, excellent opportunities for marine research. Ample research possibilities are also provided in the terrestrial environments in the Kongsfjorden area: The vegetation varies from bleak 'Arctic desert' to lush tundra and grassland communities composed of many species occurring also in the European Alps. For half a century, the commercial basis of Ny-~lesundwas coal mining. Since over 30 years, however, NY-Älesun has been used as a research base for natural sciences. In 1970, the research station of the Norsk Polar Institutt began operation. Since then, the location became an important place for research of many nations and disciplines. The research activities increased, especially in the 90s, when new permanent and seasonally active stations came into operation. A few years ago, Ny-Alesund was part of the Large Scale Facility Programme of the European Community. An advantage of NY-~lesundis that it is easily accessible and has a well-developed infrastructure. Combined with the unique natural surroundings, Ny-~lesundis an optimal base for intense scientific activities in the Arctic environment. Almost exactly 13 years ago, in August 1991, the Koldewey-Station in Ny-~lesundwas opened as the permanent research station of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Ny-~lesund,representing the national German research platform in the Arctic. The station was named after Carl Koldewey, the leader of the first German Expedition to the Arctic in the year 1868. A major focus of research at Koldewey Station is monitoring of the atmosphere. Since 1992, the Koldewey Station is part of the global Network for Detection of Stratospheric Change" (NDSC). It supplies key long- term observation data essential for improving our understanding of chemical and physical processes in the atmosphere. In 1995, a new laboratory for this purpose entered service, featuring a special roof design that permits the Installation of optical equipment. In 2003, the German and French stations in the NY-Älesun area joined and formed a Joint French - German Polar Research Platform in order to conduct joint research projects in the areas of atmospheric chemistry, climate change and marine and terrestrial biology. The Ny-Älesun Marine Laboratory, jointly planned by eight research institutions from different nations interested in marine biological studies, will be opened in 2005. It will be the northernmost marine laboratory in the world, meet high international standards and serve as the basis for marine biological projects in Kongsfjorden. So far, biological research has been performed in the "Nansen Laboratory", a small laboratory owned by the Norsk Polar Institutt and consisting of three relatively small rooms in the Old Power Station. As explained above, although the main research focus of the Koldewey Station was initially concerned with atmospheric studies, biologists used this research platform since the opening of the station in 1991. A few years later, studies on the effects of global changes mainly on marine biota were performed in collaboration with the atmospheric working groups. So it seems appropriate to summarise the biological work, which has been performed within a large number of projects at Koldewey Station since the opening of this German Arctic research platform in conjunction with the related research fields and in collaboration with scientists from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Norway, Russia, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands, Chapter 1 addresses the environment of Kongsfjorden and links biological research to physical studies. Stratospheric ozone depletion is one major issue as it determines the UV radiation to which organisms on land