Arctic Station Dirigibile Italia

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Arctic warming is occurring much faster than in the rest of the world, a phenomenon known as Arctic Amplification. The Atlantification of the Arctic Ocean is causing a marked increase in temperature and salinity around the Svalbard Islands and within Kongsfjorden. As a consequence, the Arctic Ocean is experiencing weakened stratification, which enhances vertical mixing and increases the upward fluxes of heat and salt. This process inhibits sea-ice formation and contributes to a greater ocean heat content.
These alterations in the regional energy budget also promote nutrient mixing, potentially affecting biological systems by modifying nutrient availability and influencing the ecology of both plants and animals. Such ongoing changes underscore the need to improve our understanding of biological–physical coupling in glaciated fjords.
Kongsfjorden, located on the west coast of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago (Norway), is a well-studied Arctic fjord. Its inner part is shallow, with depths below 100 m, while the outer, western area reaches depths greater than 300 m. The tidewater glaciers Kronebreen and Kongsvegen (with surface areas of 445 and 165 km², respectively) discharge into the inner fjord.
Summer air temperature also influences glacier melt, which intensifies once the snowpack warms to the melting point, allowing meltwater to percolate downward and feed the subglacial drainage system. Upon reaching the ocean at the glacier base, meltwater forms a turbulent jet that, due to density contrasts, rises rapidly and generates a buoyant brackish overflow plume. The upwelling of subglacial discharge at the Kronebreen glacier front entrains large volumes of ambient, nutrient-rich bottom waters, resulting in elevated surface concentrations of ammonium, nitrate, and partially silicic acid.
Sediment-laden surface waters may significantly reduce light penetration or induce nutrient fertilization, both of which have important consequences for plankton dynamics, remineralization processes, and overall trophic-web functioning. Arctic phytoplankton are highly sensitive to changes in the physical and chemical properties of seawater, particularly in the context of rapid climate change and sea-ice loss.
In this study, we will examine the spatial and seasonal patterns of phytoplankton assemblage, and clarify their relationships with light, temperature, and nutrient availability in Kongsfjorden during summer. This analysis will be carried out by sampling a series of stations distributed along a transect from the glacier front to the open sea.

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Meltwater Pathways and Phytoplankton Responses in a Warming Arctic (MYSEA)