Abstract
The project aims to test the hypothesis that changing ice conditions associated with different climatic regimes drives primary production on the northern Svalbard shelf through different carbon sources (ice algae vs. phytoplankton). The project proposes that such variation in the dominant source pathways of primary production has concomitant effects to both the pelagic and benthic systems, as well as the trophic pathways by which they are coupled. The project will carry out an extensive field campaign, combined with laboratory analyses to test a series of working hypotheses related to the primary producers, zooplankton, and benthic components. The test region is the northern Barents Sea near northeast Spitsbergen where sea ice varies on small spatial and temporal scales. The project will compare systems influenced predominantly by different water masses, i.e. Atlantic water (warm scenario) vs. Arctic water (cold scenario) and the project will assess temporal aspects by sampling in different seasons (i.e. spring vs. autumn) and in different years. Ultimately, the project aims to provide insight into the energetic pathways and trophic structure of this ecosystem and its stability versus sensitivity in the face of predicted future climate changes. Such an ecosystem-based approach is the most effective means to understand the possible consequences of climate change to biotic systems.
Norway