Aarhus University Aarhus Annual Report 2009 th National Environmental Research Institute Research National Environmental 15 ZERO – 15h Annual Report 2009 ZACKENBERG ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH OPERATIONS 15th Annual Report 2009 Data sheet Title: Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations Subtitle: 15th Annual Report 2009 Editors: Lillian Magelund Jensen and Morten Rasch Publisher: National Environmental Research Institute© Aarhus University – Denmark URL: http://www.neri.dk Year of publication: 2010 Please cite as: Jensen, L.M. and Rasch, M. (eds.) 2010. Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations, 15th Annual Report, 2009. National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University, Denmark. 134 pp. Reproduction permitted provided the source is explicitly acknowledged. Layout and drawings: Tinna Christensen Front cover photo: Arctic hares Lepus arcticus at Zackenberg, July 2009. Photo: Lars Holst Hansen. Back cover photos: Jannik Hansen counting musk oxen from the roof top of House no. 4 at Zackenberg, July 2009. Photo: Lars Holst Hansen. ISSN: 1397-4262 ISBN: 978-87-7073-208-6 Paper quality: Paper 80 g Cyclus offset Printed by: Schultz Grafi sk A/S Number of pages: 134 Circulation: 650 Internet version: The report is available in electronic format (pdf) on www.zackenberg.dk/Publications and on www.dmu.dk/pub Supplementary notes: This report is free of charge and may be ordered from National Environmental Research Institute Aarhus University P. O. Box 358 Frederiksborgvej 399 DK-4000 Roskilde E-mail: [email protected] Phone: +45 46301917 Zackenberg Ecological Research Operations (ZERO) is together with Nuuk Ecological Research Operations (NERO) operated as a centre without walls with a number of Danish and Greenlan- dic institutions involved. The two programmes are gathered under the umbrella organization Greenland Ecosystem Monitoring (GEM). The following institutions are involved in ZERO: National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University: GeoBasis, BioBasis and MarineBasis programmes Greenland Institute of Natural Resources: MarineBasis programme Asiaq - Greenland Survey: ClimateBasis programme University of Copenhagen: GeoBasis programme Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland: GlacioBasis programme The programmes are coordinated by a secretariat at National Environmental Research Institute, Aarhus University and fi nanced through contributions from: The Danish Energy Agency The Danish Environmental Protection Agency The Government of Greenland Private foundations The participating institutions Contents Executive Summary 5 Charlotte Sigsgaard, Michele Citterio, Niels Martin Schmidt, Mikael K. Sejr, Morten Rasch and Lillian Magelund Jensen 1 Introduction 9 Morten Rasch 2 Zackenberg Basic: The ClimateBasis and GeoBasis programmes 12 Charlotte Sigsgaard, Kisser Thorsøe, Magnus Lund, Nanna Kandrup, Morten Larsen, Julie Maria Falk, Birger Ulf Hansen, Lena Ström, Torben Røjle Christensen and Mikkel P. Tamstorf 3 Zackenberg Basic: The GlacioBasis programme 36 Michele Citterio and Andreas Ahlstrøm 4 Zackenberg Basic: The BioBasis programme 46 Jannik Hansen, Lars Holst Hansen, Kristine Boesgaard, Kristian Albert, Sarah Svendsen, Sonja Hoffmann Hansen, Anders Michelsen, Line Anker Kyhn, Kirsten S. Christoffersen and Niels Martin Schmidt 5 Zackenberg Basic: The MarineBasis programme 82 Mikael K. Sejr, Søren Rysgaard, Thomas Juul-Pedersen, Egon R. Frandsen, Kunuk Lennert, Paul Batty and Martin E. Blicher 6 Research projects 94 6.1 Climate change and glacier reaction in Zackenberg region 94 Wolfgang Schöner, Daniel Binder, Bernhard Hynek and Gernot Weyss 6.2 Ground penetrating radar (GPR) for assessing soil-snow-vegetation interactions 94 Guisella Gacitua and Mikkel P. Tamstorf 6.3 Discharge in Zackenbergelven at high fl ows 95 Kisser Thorsøe 6.4 Atmospheric particle sampling at Zackenberg – preliminary results 96 Volker Ditze, Charlotte Sigsgaard, Julie Maria Falk, Benoit Sittler, Uwe Kaminski, Birger Ulf Hansen and Mikkel P. Tamstorf 6.5 Landscape and permafrost partitioning of soil carbon at Zackenberg 98 Peter Kuhry and Gustaf Hugelius 6.6 Inter-annual variation in CH4 fl ux in a high Arctic fen area 100 Torbern Tagesson, Lena Ström, Mikhail Mastepanov, Norbert Pirk and Torben R. Christensen 6.7 VEGMON: soil, vegetation and bryophytes – extended investigations in the context of GLORIA 101 The VEGMON team: Siegrun Ertl, Clemens Geitner, Christian Lettner, Harald G. Zechmeister, Paul Illmer, Sieglinde Farbmacher and Karl Reiter, Siegrun Ertl, Clemens Geitner, Christian Lettner and Karl Reiter 6.8 Volatile organic compound emissions in three high arctic heath types and the infl uence of climate change 105 Anders Michelsen, Sebrina Buchard, Patrick Faubert, Riikka Rinnan, Niels Martin Schmidt and Helge Ro- Poulsen 6.9 Carbon dioxide emission from high arctic dry heath during summer and autumn, and the infl uence of enhanced precipitation and nutrient enrichment 106 Anders Michelsen, Casper T. Christiansen, Sarah Svendsen and Niels Martin Schmidt 6.10 A high Arctic food web 108 Tomas Roslin and Gergely Várkonyi 6.11 The Greenland seed bug, Nysius groenlandicus: Is sex necessary? 110 Jens Böcher and Gösta Nachman 6.12 Feeding strategies of zooplankton in a high Arctic freshwater ecosystem 112 Matteo Cazzanelli, Laura Forsström, Milla Rautio, Anders Michelsen and Kirsten S. Christoffersen 6.13 The MANA Project 113 Philippe Bonnet, Kirsten S. Christoffersen and Marcus Chang 6.14 Non-breeding distribution of sanderlings Calidris alba from Zackenberg 114 Jeroen Reneerkens, Koos Dijksterhuis, Sharon van den Eertwegh, Kirsten Grond, Gunnar Thor Hallgrimsson, Lenze Hofstee and Toon Voets 6.15 Walrus studies in Northeast Greenland 116 Erik W. Born, David M. Boertmann, Mads-Peter Heide-Jørgensen, Rune Dietz, Lars Witting, Line Anker Kyhn, Sabrine Fossette, Frank Rigét, Kristin Laidre and Fernando Ugarte 6.16 Mercury (Hg) transport from the terrestrial to the marine environment 117 Frank Rigét, Mikkel P. Tamstorf, Martin M. Larsen, Gert Asmund, Julie Maria Falk and Charlotte Sigsgaard 6.17 Changing Arctic, Changing World: Greenland’s Warming Climate 118 Irene Quaile-Kersken 7 Disturbances in the study area 119 Jannik Hansen 8 Logistics 121 Henrik Spanggård Munch and Lillian Magelund Jensen 9 Personnel and visitors 122 Compiled by Lillian Magelund Jensen 10 Publications 126 Compiled by Lillian Magelund Jensen 11 References 129 Appendix 133 15th Annual Report, 2009 5 Executive Summary Charlotte Sigsgaard, Michele Citterio, Niels Martin Schmidt, Mikael K. Sejr, Morten Rasch and Lillian Magelund Jensen Summary November/December or even as late as the end of January (winter 2008/2009). 2009 was a busy year at Zackenberg Re- The early snow cover and the insulating search Station with a fi eld season from 12 effect of the snow had a huge impact on May to 27 October, 63 scientists visiting the freezing of the active layer, which was the station and the number of bed nights prolonged considerably compared to pre- totalling 1999. vious years. Zackenbergelven broke up 22 May, which is more than a week earlier than ClimateBasis and GeoBasis observed before. By the end of September, the river was again covered by ice and The 2009 season was characterized by an only a limited base fl ow persisted. Due unusual low amount of snow and a very to the sparse amount of melt water from early snowmelt. In the valley a continuous snow in the valley and the low tempera- snow cover of more than 10 cm was absent tures, the runoff in June was lower than until the end of January (one to two month ever recorded. A major peak in drainage later than usual for the last 13 years) and a was observed on 11-12 August when a maximum snow depth of less than 20 cm fl ood caused by a glacial lake burst raised at the meteorological station made it the the water level to a maximum. However, driest winter season since measurements the total runoff from 22 May to 20 Octo- started in 1996. The limited amount of ber was only 144 million m3 – the lowest snow combined with a warm spring made registered since 1996. During the entire snow disappear several weeks earlier than period of runoff the suspended sediment re-gistered before. May was extremely transport amounted to 44,700 ton of which warm with a mean monthly temperature approximately, 20,000 ton was connected of 3.5 °C above average while June was to the fl ood event. mainly cloudy and foggy with modest The total summer precipitation was 60 temperatures (temperatures did not ex- mm, which is above average and similar ceed 10 °C until 6 July). Sunny and warm to 2008. The most intense rain event (20 weather with a maximum temperature mm) occurred on 21 August during a rain- of 18 °C (18 July) dominated the fi rst part storm where also the highest wind speeds of July until a sudden change in weather was registered. occurred on 21 July. The temperature In Young Sund/Tyrolerfjord, the ice dropped signifi cantly and the next couple broke up around 8-9 July, and by 14 July, of weeks the weather was rainy, windy, there was no longer ice present in Young and mainly overcast. Still, July ended up Sund. The time of the break up is close to being the second warmest month ever the average of what have been registered. measured at Zackenberg with a mean New ice started to form on the fjord in monthly temperature of 8.6 °C - only ex- mid-September and by early October the ceeded in 2008. First episode of night frost fjord was covered by fast ice. was registered 20 August and by early Because of the limited amount of snow September diurnal temperatures stayed and the high temperatures in May, there below 0 °C. The early winter was generally was a very early thaw of the upper soil cold and September, October and Novem- at the two grid sites ZEROCALM-1 and ber were all among the coldest registered. ZEROCALM-2. The maximum thaw depth From mid-September an extensive measured in late August ended up being snow cover was present in the valley – a similar to (ZEROCALM-1) or deeper (ZE- situation normally not experienced until ROCALM-2) than measured before.