The changing vegetation and landscape in Rosenbergdalen
Rosenbergdalen is a valley close to Kapp Lee on the north-east side of Edgeøya. In 1977, the vegetation was intensively mapped with 131 quadrats of 1x1 m2 and a list of 72 plant species by Hester Heinemeijer. In 2015 we re-visited the site and re-mapped 34 of these quadrats and the close environment to study vegetation change. The changes in coverage and species composition were spectacular. In 2020 we want to continue mapping the vegetation at the earlier used quadrats and intensify permafrost measurements of active layer depth variation using scanning equipment and citizen science.
Together with Wouter Rooke, René van der Wal, Mennobart van Eerden, Leo Jalink, Michael Stech, Hans Kruijer, Koos de Vries, Christophe Brochard.
What do people appreciate most during the expedition
Particpants are asked to write down every evening the most impressive experience of the day in only one sentence.
We want to analyse which aspects of the expedition are appreciated best and if we can recognize patterns in this appreciation.
Participants on this project need to give their consent for the use of
their data, the data will be pseudonymised and the results shared with them before publishing. .
Movement patterns of people on arctic tundra
Tourism can create soil erosion on heavy visited routes. How close do they stick together and use the same path?
Does this pattern change after they have been warned for polar bear activity?
With a GPS-logger-app on their telephones, we want to study the patterns of movement of the various participants of the SEES.nl expedition while they have landed on a tundra site. Do scientists, tourists or journalists move in
different patterns or speeds? Do social units stick together all the time? Are people taking exactly the same track?
How far are people away from their guards?
At the end of each day, the tracks are collected and stored. Participants on this project need to give their consent for the use of their data, the data will be pseudonymised and the results shared with them before publishing. Together with Renno Hokwerda, Frits Steenhuisen.
Plankton communities in Arctic lakes
With the proposed study we aim at using key ecological indicators to assess changes in High Arctic lakes and ponds. We plan to study the biodiversity and community structure of freshwater phyto- and zooplankton in relation to goose presence and ecological succession/age of a waterbody. For the phytoplankton part of this study we focus on Desmidiaceae communities (desmids) in Sphagnum. Additionally (when possible) we would also like to investigate the vascular plants around the studied waterbodies (vegetation mapping) as this species group is also influenced by the increasing numbers of geese. Finally, recent investigations show that microplastic might even be present in snowfall in the Artic. This may have strong effects on the ecosystem there. Since these plastics might even be visible in the zooplankton samples, we would like to investigate those as well. No additional sampling is needed, however.
Together with Christophe Brochard.
Tundra ponds on the move
Earlier on we studied aquatic ecology in tundra ponds. We focused on the Arctic tadpole shrimp, Lepidurus in relation to zooplankton and geese. Our results from 2015 showed that Barnacle geese induce both top-down and bottom-up effects.
The increase over time of goose numbers has had cascading effects on the freshwater aquatic community. So feeding conditions on the winter grounds in Scotland have an effect in the Arctic. Our approach for this year's research has three lines:
First, fieldwork will comprise mapping the spatial occurrence of crustaceans in different depth zones of selected arctic ponds. Second, we will extend our research in the field to the role of another end-user of crustaceans, the Grey Phalarope. Phalaropes perform a complete moult of body feathers, before taking off from the tundra ecosystem to the coastal marine upwelling zones where they spend the winter, several thousands of kilometers away from Svalbard. They concentrate in areas where crustaceans are abundant. During this expedition we will map feeding conditions and hope to discover important staging sites in the eastern islands and the Sørkapp area. Third, on board, experiments will be undertaken to study the diurnal activity of zooplankton in relation to the presence and activity of Lepidurus, their main predator. For this we use four mini tanks to mimic various environmental conditions. So extended research along three lines, fascinating and therefore very much looking forward meeting you all up North!
Together with Mennobart van Eerden, Arne van Eerden.
Mercury levels in soil and vegetation of arctic terrestrial ecosystems.
I would like to collect soil and vegetation samples to analyse mercury levels to create a spatial overview of mercury levels in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Earlier experiments with goslings showed adverse effects at low levels of exposure. This project would enable us to put the results of those studies in a wider context. In addition to the soil and vegetation I would also like to collect goose faeces, indicative for exposure to contaminants in the food. Most research on mercury in the Arctic has been performed in the marine ecosystem. This project will focus on the terrestrial project with potential implications for herbivores like geese and reindeer. Together with Nico van den Brink, Frits Steenhuisen.
