Zooplankton structure in high latitude fjords with contrasting oceanography (Hornsund and Kongsfjorden, Spitsbergen)

Zooplankton inhabiting the Hornsund and Kongsfjorden fjords on Spitsbergen (Svalbard) were investigated in summer 2013. The goal of the study was to determine how the zooplankton communities vary in environments functioning under different oceanographic regimes. Sampling was conducted with nets of different mesh size and selectivity (56 μm WP-2, 180 μm MultiNet, and 1000 μm Tucker Trawl), which permitted comparing a wide size spectrum of zooplankton components. Species composition did not differ substantially between the fjords, but the zooplankton in Hornsund was almost two times less numerous, and it had lower biomass per unit volume. The highest abundance at both sites was in the smallest zooplankton size fraction found only in samples taken with 56 μm mesh WP-2 net. These comprised as much as 71% and 58% of the total zooplankton abundance in Hornsund and Kongsfjorden, respectively. The communities in both fjords had comparable contributions of Arctic and boreo-Arctic species biomass in the year of the study. However, the comparison of zooplankton characteristics over several years showed changes in abundance and biogeographic structure that corresponded with variations in the physical environments of the fjords. The results of the study permit predicting the possible effects of the increasing influence of Atlantic waters on zooplankton communities inhabiting Arctic marine pelagic ecosystems.