Abstract Project: AWIPEV_0015

Clara Hoppe (AWI)

The functioning of marine ecosystems depends on some of their smallest members, the phytoplankton, as well as the processes controlling their primary production and its transfer through the food web. The most important event in their annual cycle is the spring bloom. In 2024, we will continue our monitoring of the Kongsfjorden spring bloom controls and dynamics (running since 2014). To this end, we sample physical, chemical and biological parameters at station KB3 three times per week. By combining field observations with experiments, we examine how changes in controlling factors influence phytoplankton productivity and ecological dynamics. This year, we will run mesocosms experiments jointly with the SiDe-EFFECT project that focus on the effects of different nutrient ratios on bloom composition and biogeochemistry.