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Rijpfjorden - a "true" Arctic fjord
Svalbard is an Arctic archipelago located between 76° and 81°N. Previous research activites of fjord ecosystems were mainly concentrated along the Western coast of the main island Spitsbergen, in Hornsund, Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden. For the ICE EDGE PROGRAMME
Rijpfjorden on Nordaustlandet was chosen as the main study site, since it represents a ‘true’ Arctic fjord. This fjord is open only to the north and is little influenced by warm Atlantic water masses transported along the West coast of Spitsbergen. Heavy sea ice prevails until June/July in this area. In previous years, UNIS cruises have visited this fjord and taken one transect of samples, usually in August/September. Apart from these ‘snapshots’ of an early autumn situation, no data about the marine ecosystem have been available until today.
In autumn 2006, a mooring was placed in Rijpfjorden to provide a continuous year-round data series about hydrographical and biological features of the fjord that will serve as important background information for the seasonal study performed in 2007. In early February 2007, a weather station and a webcam were established there in order to monitor the meteorological conditions and ice cover. One important aspect of our research is also the comparison of this truly Arctic system with the fjords on the west coast of Spitsbergen. Either we or other projects carry out therefore comparative sampling campaigns in Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden, and there is another mooring placed in Kongsfjorden that is identical to the one in Rijpfjorden.
Map over Svalbard showing the different areas where ecosystem studies are ongoing
In autumn 2006, a mooring was placed in Rijpfjorden to provide a continuous year-round data series about hydrographical and biological features of the fjord that will serve as important background information for the seasonal study performed in 2007. In early February 2007, a weather station and a webcam were established there in order to monitor the meteorological conditions and ice cover. One important aspect of our research is also the comparison of this truly Arctic system with the fjords on the west coast of Spitsbergen. Either we or other projects carry out therefore comparative sampling campaigns in Isfjorden and Kongsfjorden, and there is another mooring placed in Kongsfjorden that is identical to the one in Rijpfjorden.
Detailed map over Rijpfjorden
CLEOPATRA in Oslo