Tidewater glaciers as feeding spots for the Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla): A citizen science approach

Thirty-one tidewater glacier bays in Spitsbergen Island were visited by yachts in August 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Surface water samples were taken by volunteers, the members of the yacht crews, to measure concentrations of suspended matter, salinity, and temperature. Secchi disc measurements were used to measure water transparency. A series of photographs along the glacier fronts were taken and used to count seabirds that were present near the glacier cliff. Basic topographic features (depth, presence of a sill, exposure, glacier width) were obtained from sea charts and analysed. The number of preying Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla; a target species) ranged from zero to over 2000 birds during 89 visits. High concentrations of individuals (above 100) were observed in 20% of the visits, while no birds were recorded in 42% of the visits. There was no statistical correlation between the topographic features of the glacier and bird concentrations. To our present knowledge, Black-legged Kittiwake feeding spots are random and temporary in time in which (or soon after) the juveniles are leaving the colony. They are a recurrent phenomenon related to krill abundance and simultaneous jet-like meltwater discharges

Hermit crabs (Pagurus spp.) at their northernmost range: distribution, abundance and shell use in the European Arctic

Hermit crabs are important components of Arctic benthic systems, yet baseline data on their densities and distribution patterns in this rapidly changing region are still scarce. Here we compile results of numerous research expeditions to Svalbard, the Barents Sea and northern Norway that were carried out from 1979 to 2011 by the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences. The diversity of hermit crabs at the northern edge of their occurrence is very low; in Svalbard waters only one species (Pagurus pubescens) was detected. Another species (P. bernhardus), found in northern mainland Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, is likely to extend its distribution northward as the climate warms. Where the two species co-occur, competition between them probably accounts for the smaller sizes and poorer quality shells used by P. pubescens. The composition of the mollusc shells inhabited by these crabs differs between northern Norway and Svalbard, reflecting local mollusc species pools. Hermit crab densities were significantly higher than previously reported (max. mean 10 ind. m−2), suggesting their increasing level of dominance in benthic communities in the studied areas. The first to report the distribution of hermit crabs among habitats, this study showed that most individuals occurred at shallow depths (5–150 m), away from glacier termini and on hard bedrock rather than on soft substrata

Estimation of glacial meltwater discharge into Svalbard coastal waters. Oceanologia 39

Abstract During the summer expeditions of r/v 'Oceania' in 1995'Oceania' in -1996, oceanographic investigations comprising CTD profiling and suspension measurements were conducted in Svalbard fjords and shelf waters. The freshwater volume was estimated independently from the salinity drop as compared with the assumed background salinity and from the distribution of mineral suspension density in surface waters. Preliminary calculations of the instantaneous freshwater volume based on the distribution of suspended matter (at depths of < 150 m) yielded a figure of 80 km 3 in Svalbard coastal waters in summer. Values for Hornsund and Kongsfjord ranged from 0.4 to 0.7 km 3 of freshwater at the height of summer. This corresponds well with glaciological estimations, which give an annual discharge of 14.6 to 27.5 km 3 of freshwater for Svalbard. The glacial discharge is estimated to make up some 42% of the freshwater budget of Svalbard shelf waters, the remainder being derived from Barents Sea Arctic waters of reduced salinity

A huge biocatalytic filter in the centre of Barents Sea shelf?

A primary production model for the Barents Sea shows a hot spot of organic carbon settlement to the sea bed over 100 km long, a shallow pile of highly permeable sediments (mainly large Balanus, Mya and Pecten shell fragments over 1 cm in size) of glacial origin. Hydrodynamic flow models suggest an intensive, deep flow of near-bottom waters into the sediment. Depending on wave height, water in shallow (30 m depth) places may percolate more than 5 m into the sediment. During 10 days of stormy weather as much as 4 to 8 kg wet weight pelagic biomass can be processed per square metre through this extremely permeable sediment. Analogous processes known in coastal waters lead to intense biocatalytic phenomena and metabolism of organic carbon within the seabed, estimated here as more intense than surface consumption. Spitsbergenbanken may be acting as a huge sink for organic carbon and an important source of nutrients in one of the most productive areas of the North Atlantic

Navigating the Future V: Marine Science for a Sustainable Future

Navigating the Future is a publication series produced by the European Marine Board providing future perspectives on marine science and technology in Europe. Navigating the Future V (NFV) highlights new knowledge obtained since Navigating the Future IV1 (2013). It is set within the framework of the 2015 Paris Agreement2 and builds on the scientific basis and recommendations of the IPCC reports3. NFV gives recommendations on the science required during the next decade to deliver the ocean we need to support a sustainable future. This will be important for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development4 (2021 – 2030), the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals5 and the European Commission’s next framework programme, Horizon Europe6 (2021 - 2027). There is a growing need to strengthen the links between marine science, society and policy since we cannot properly manage what we do not know. In recent years, the ocean and seas have received new prominence in international agendas. To secure a safe planet a priority is the management of the ocean as a “common good for humanity”, which requires smarter observations to assess of the state of the ocean and predictions about how it may change in the future. The ocean is a three-dimensional space that needs to be managed over time (thus four-dimensional), and there is a need for management and conservation practices that integrate the structure and function of marine ecosystems into these four dimensions (Chapter 2). This includes understanding the dynamic spatial and temporal interplay between ocean physics, chemistry and biology. Multiple stressors including climate change, pollution and over-fishing affect the ocean and we need to better understand and predict their interactions and identify tipping points to decide on management priorities (Chapter 3). This should integrate our understanding of land-ocean-atmosphere processes and approaches to reducing impacts. An improved science base is also needed to help predict and minimize the impact of extreme events such as storm surges, heat waves, dynamic sea-floor processes and tsunamis (Chapter 4). New technologies, data handling and modelling approaches will help us to observe, understand and manage our use of the fourdimensional ocean and the effect of multiple stressors (Chapter 5). Addressing these issues requires a strategic, collective and holistic approach and we need to build a community of sustainability scientists that are able to provide evidence-based support to policy makers within the context of major societal challenges (Chapter 6). We outline new frontiers, knowledge gaps and recommendations needed to manage the ocean as a common good and to develop solutions for a sustainable future (Chapter 7). The governance of sustainability should be at the core of the marine research agenda through co-production and collaboration with stakeholders to identify priorities. There is need for a fully integrated scientific assessment of resilience strategies, associated trade-offs and underlying ethical concepts for the ocean, which should be incorporated into decision support frameworks that involve stakeholders from the outset. To allow the collection, processing and access to all data, a key priority is the development of a business model that ensures the long-term economic sustainability of ocean observations

Trzy kultury i aksjologia Przyrody. Dążenie do racjonalności dyskusji o eksploatacji środowiska naturalnego

Jan Marcin Węsławski Instytut Oceanologii PAN, SopotZakład Ekologii Morza Abstract: Three cultures and Nature axiologyTowards rational discussion on the exploitation of NatureAttempts to rationalize Man-Nature conflicts rely on the discussion limits set to the Scientific facts only (value-free science) with no emotion or opinion expressed. The number of examples presented from the field of hunting and fishery demonstrates that Science can model the population mortality or define the sustainable exploitation. However, it will not help to account for the way and reason for killing wild animals. As nowadays Nature is valued in a number of different ways, there is an urgent need to combine the traditionally separated domains of Science and Letters that is being postulated by a number of contemporary conservationists Consilience, man-nature conflicts, three cultures, wildlife exploitatio

Зачем существует тюлень? Телеология в современных отношениях человека и животного

Teleologia – wywodzące się od czasów starożytnych przekonanie, że wszystkie gatunki istnieją w określonym celu (Stwórca powołał je do życia, nadając im role), ma się zdumiewająco dobrze we współczesnej szkolnej edukacji i praktyce zarządzania środowiskiem. Prowadzi to do przyjęcia założenia o człowieku jako „dobrym ogrodniku”, który wybiera gatunki pożyteczne i usuwa szkodliwe, planując i egzekwując ich liczebność oraz obszar występowania. Tego rodzaju podejście jest w sprzeczności ze współczesną wiedzą o plastyczności gatunków i ekosystemów, które zmieniają się na skutek złożonych zjawisk przyrodniczych. W efekcie powstaje konflikt pomiędzy tymi, którzy chcą chronić wybrane gatunki z powodu tego, że spełniają one określoną funkcję, którą my lub Stwórca im nadaliśmy (dostarczają dobra lub usługi ekosystemowe), oraz tymi, którzy chcą chronić Przyrodę dla niej samej.Телеология – древняя убеждение, что существование всех существ служит определенной цели (Бог создал их по какой-то причине), удивительно вездесуще в современной школьной образовательной практике и практике управления окружающей средой. Это приводит к утверждению, что человек является «хорошим садовником», который отбирает полезные виды и удаляет вредные путем планирования и обеспечения соблюдения их численности и площади распространения. Такой подход противоречит современным знаниям о пластичности видов и экосистем, которые изменяются в результате сложных природных явлений. В результате возникает конфликт между теми, кто хочет защитить отдельные виды, потому что они выполняют определенную роль, и теми, кто хочет защитить Природу ради нее самой, видя ее собственную ценность