Certain individual organisms and associations of biota in the Arctic marine ecosystems are sensitive to minor changes in specific environmental parameters. This sensitivity may be manifested as a response in their physiology, life cycle, productivity, or as an influence on ecological processes. Detection of such biological change would be an essential part of the Arctic global change strategy. Special attention should be paid to identifying and studying representative organisms and specific processes which are sensitive to small environmental changes and to those which play an important role in the dynamics of key Arctic ecosystems.
The coastal shelf region of the Arctic has high primary production and is one of the principal breeding, feeding, and spawning grounds of the higher trophic Arctic organisms. The 2003 activities in Ny-Alesund area were designed to study the structure and functioning of this ecosystem and to test several hypotheses regarding the interaction of biological and physical processes. The field and laboratory works were done on near-shore water organisms. Experimental studies on feeding physiology and ecology of the Arctic plankton and benthos were conducted to evaluate the contribution of this species to organic carbon flux in the Arctic coastal waters. Micro- and macroalgae were sampled from several stations to study community structure and to elucidate environmental parameters determining the structure. Various benthic organisms were collected by SCUBA divers for biochemical study on natural products. Assemblages, biomass and production of planktonic organisms were measured in the near-shore waters.
For the long-term Arctic marine ecosystem research a marine ecosystem monitoring site designated. Existing data were examined to identify key environmental parameters of major biological significance which require long-term monitoring. Physical and chemical factors have been included changes in temperature, salinity, nutrients, UVB, and sea-ice dynamics: biological factors such as biomass and composition of phytoplankton, bacterial and protozoa were considered. The current abundance and spatial distribution of key environmentally-sensitive species in marine communities and habitats to define a baseline for monitoring long-term changes were determined. The marine biological programmes will contribute to monitoring and detection of change in the Arctic. The main objective is to identify key organisms, biological processes, and interactions that are most likely to be influenced by changes in the climatic regime of the Arctic marine ecosystem.
Marine environment and phytoplankton of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard during August in 2003
During the 2nd Dasan Station field season, August 2003, surface temperature, salinity, density, and phytoplan kton biomass (chl a) was measured in Kongsfjoden, Svalbard, the Arctic. Chl a values ranged from 0.08 to 1.4 mg chl a m-3 (mean of 0.53 mg chl a m-3) in the overall surface stations. The highest values of the chl a conce ntrations (>1.0 mg chl a m-3) were found near glacier in the northeastern part of the Kongsfjorden. Nanoplan ktonic (< 20 μm) phytoflagellates were the important contributors for the increase of the chl a. The nano-size d phytoflagellates accounted for more than 90% of the total chl a biomass in the study area. Surface tempera tures and salinities ranged from 2.5 to 7.18°C (mean of 4.65°C) and from 22.55 to 32.97 psu (mean of 30.16 psu), respectively. Drifting ice, freshwater, and semdiment inputs from large tidal glaciers located in inner part of Konsfjorden create steep physico- and biogeochemical environmental gradients along the length of this fjo rd. The glacial inputs cause reduced biodiversity, biomass, and productivity in the pelagic community in the inn er fjord. Primary production of benthic and pelagic microalgae is reduced because of limited light levels in the t urbid, mixed inner waters.
Physical environment of Kongsfjorden during August in 2003
Spatial temperature and salinity were measured using YSI 6920 CTD to understand the basically physical environment of Kongsfjorden. In summer (August) when atmospheric heating is high and amount of precipitation is large, amount of melting freshwater became high into the drainage basin and the consequent Surface Water (<3.0 , <30.00 psu). Warm surface water (>5.0) in both August and October flowed into the bay and the induced thermal contacting-meltwater at the front of glacier produced mixed surface water. Strong advection of surface water through northern part of the bay was caused by down-fjord wind.
Distribution of zooplankton community in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard
Zooplanktons were surveyed at nine stations in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Zooplankton community consisted of six taxa. Copepods were dominant group and showed highest value in the frequency of abundance with 89.8 % of total zooplankton. Mean abundance was 2,348 inds./m3 ranging from 835 indv./m3 at st.4 to 6,232 indv./m3 at st. 2. during the study period. Zooplankton abundances were affected by the fluctuations of temperature and salinity. Abundances were fewer in the inner bay area near from glacier than in the open ocean mainly due to the copepod abundances. Generally zooplankton abundances were higher in high temperature and high salinity area than in low temperature and low salinity glacial coastal area. A cyclopoid copepod, Oithona similis was dominant in the surveyed area.
A study on the development of novel substances from the Arctic
During the course of our search for bioactive metabolites from Arctic organisms, four marine algae and three plants were collected from Svalbard, Norway. Some of these organisms have bioactivity, and two new metabolites of the bisabolene class have been isolated from the Arctic plants Cassiope tetragona. The partial structures of these compounds have been determined by combined spectral studies. The novel compound exhibited cytoxicity toward a human leukemia cell-line K-562.
Isolation and identification of the Arctic microorganisms inhabited around Kongsfjorden
The Arctic microorganisms, identified using 16S rDNA sequences, and preserved in as a genetic bank. Soil microorganisms have inhabited around Korean Arctic Research Station Dasan located at Ny-Alesund. The total 221 viable microorganisms and 203 genomic DNAs were preserved in deep-freezer. Among the 221 strains, the 16S rDNAs of 97 strains were amplified, sequenced, and phylogenetically analyzed. Out of 97 strains, 21 strains were overlapped and 76 microorganisms were identified: 55 species of Pseudomonas genus, 21 species of Arthrobacter genus, Alcaligenes sp., Phychrobacter sp., and Yersinia sp. Arctic microorganisms isolated in this study can be used for screening to develop new antibiotics or industrial enzymes. |
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We have upgraded operating system of IR spectrometer (Fourier Transform Spectrometer, Bomem MR160) at Dasan station, Ny-Alesund., Svalbard, Norway and Esrange, Kiruna, Sweden. Also the calibration on the optical system was made this year.
The instrument has been runned in Dasan station since November, 2002 and in Esrange since October 2001. We have set-up the data logger system so that the observations can be made automatically whenever the sun is below the horizon (solar depression angle 4 degree below horizon).
Long-term measurements of atmospheric emission features are planned to reveal the detailed information on the energy balance and the dynamics behavior (such as gravity waves, tides) of the Earth's middle atmosphere. |
Korea Polar Research Institute had performed geologic field survey around Ny-Alesund during the 18 August to 5 September 2003. Three geologist- paleontologist, sedimentologist and economic mineralogist, participated in this geologic field survey.
The purpose of this survey is to understanding of the geologic processes and evolutions of this region. The basic approach is stratigraphic and sedimentlogic description of Cretaceous and Tertiary sedimentary rocks, structural analysis of the deformed rocks, occurrence and diversity of fossils of the sedimentary rocks, and petrographic description of the coal.
The main field survey area of this expedition is Brøggerhalvøya Peninsula, which is situated the region of Svalbard most strongly affected when Greenland was pressed obliquely against Svalbard at the transition between the Cretaceous and Tertiary. The peninsula shows abundant evidence of thrust. Around Ny-Alesund, Carboniferous rocks are thrust over coal-bearing Tertiary beds, the rock show brecciated and crushed in the thrust zone.
The basement rocks of Brøggerhalvøya Peninsula is distributed in the southeastern part of the peninsula, is mostly consists of phyllites with quartzite beds, had undergone folding and metamorphism. The northwestern part of the peninsula is consists of Middle and Upper Carboniferous and Permian sedimentary rocks, is mostly composed of limestone, dolomite and shale. At the south and west of Ny-Alesund, Lower Tertiary sedimentary rocks are found. They mostly consists of sandstone and conglomerate with small amount of shale and coal seams. |
Research Activities > Major Topics > Arctic Research at Dasan station
