Abstract Project: KOP151

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 2023, 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 experiments that focus on the effects of
light fields arising from different mixed layer depth on bloom development and
species composition.