Impact of Climate Change vs. natural variability - The case of the HAUSGARTEN Deep-Sea Observatory in the eastern Fram Strait

• Main Authors: Lalande, Catherine, Schewe, Ingo, Bauerfeind, Eduard, Jacob, Marianne, Kraft, Angelina, Soltwedel, Thomas
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Climate change; Fram Strait; North Atlantic; Sea ice; Zooplankton
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/35282/; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.43275

The unique long-term record assessed at the HAUSGARTEN deep-sea observatory is one of the best data sets available to study Arctic marine ecosystem dynamics. The observatory is located in the eastern Fram Strait representing one of the most sensitive areas with regard to Climate Change in the North. One of the key elements of our work at HAUSGARTEN is our multidisciplinary approach. Year-round measurements and annual sampling campaigns comprise the water column, the benthic boundary layer, and the deep-sea benthos. Our studies since 1999 show remarkable changes in marine key variables. Decreases of sea-ice extent and sea-ice thickness as well as strong fluctuations in the inflow of North-Atlantic water masses in the past decade are accompanied by changes in zooplankton, as indicated by a shift in composition of swimmers in sediment traps, which subsequently might also have influenced the food availability to the deep-sea benthos. Whether driven by Climate Change or by natural variations, these observations allow conclusions for a strong coupling between particle flux, distribution and the deep benthic ecosystem.