Chairmans Welcome Professor Bo Elberling For Arctic Station it has been important to open the station for a wider range of scientists and to foster more collaborative research on mainly terrestrial projects. Therefore, Arctic Station is since 2017 involved in a circumpolar network INTER ACT II International Network for Terrestrial Research and Monitoring in the Arctic. This network is funded by the European Union and currently consists of 83 other field stations across Europe, Russia and North America. INTER ACT II helps to increase the international significance of Arc tic Station as an impor tant facilit y for under taking research in the Arc tic. The year 2017 is also the year where Arc tic Station is fully integrated in the Greenland Ecosystem Monito ring program (GEM). GEM includes data from GeoBasis, ClimateBasis and GlacioBasis. These data are now freely available through the internet in a form similar to other stations in GEM. Since 1991, the monitoring program at Disko has been funded by the University of Copenhagen and since 2012 co -funded by the Danish Ministr y of Energy and Utilities and Climate. In this annual repor t you can read more about the data being collec ted as par t of the current program. Much of the research at the station is truly multi- disciplinar y. Here, I would like to highlight one investigation about litter decomposition, which is a fundamental component of ecosystem carbon and nutrient c ycles. To assess the impac ts of seasonal climatic changes on litter fungal communities and their func tioning, Betula glandulosa leaf litter was incubated in t wo adjacent low Arc tic sites with contrasting soil moisture regimes: dr y shrub heath and wet sedge tundra. Station leader Casper Tai Christiansen investigated the impac ts of fac torial combinations of enhanced summer warming (using open-top chambers; OTCs) and deepened snow (using snow fences) on sur face litter mass loss, chemistr y and fungal decomposer communities. Results published in Global Change Biology (Christiansen et al., 2017) show that enhanced summer warming significantly restric ted litter mass loss by 32% in the dr y and 17% in the wet site. Litter moisture content was significantly reduced by summer warming in the dr y, but not in the wet site. Likewise, fungal total abundance and diversit y were reduced by OTC warming at the dr y site, while modest warming ef fec ts were obser ved in the wet site. These results suggest that increased evapotranspiration in the OTC plots lowered litter moisture content to the point where fungal decomposition ac tivities became inhibited. That means that although soil organic matter decomposition is widely expec ted to increase with future summer warming, sur face litter decay and nutrient turnover can be restric ted by the evaporative dr ying associated with warmer air temperatures. Arctic Station is staffed year round by a scientific leader, a technical leader and a captain of R / V Porsild. Regin R ønn took over the position as the scientific leader after Casper Tai Christiansen in 2017. Regin, with a background in Arc tic soil biology, initiated and maintained several projec ts during 2017 including soil gas measurements. I would like to acknowledge the excellent and hard work of our colleagues in Qeqertarsuaq. Finally, I would like to thank the entire board for a fruitful collaboration in 2017, not the least Gitte Henrik sen for being such a qualified and enthusiastic administrator of the station. Enjoy reading Bo Elberling Marine sampling from R/V Porsild in the spring Photo Uwe John A n n u a l R e p o r t 2017 5 university of copenhagen facu lt y of sci e nc e A RC T I C STAT I ON Annual Repor t 2017 ,e ARCTIC STATION 2 A R C T I C S TAT I O N ARCTIC STATION Annual Report 2017 CONTENTS Chairmans welcome ............................................................ 5 Monitoring at Arctic Station .................................................. 6 Research projects ................................................................. 15 Educati 4 A R C T I C S TAT I O N Chairmans Welcome Professor Bo Elberling For Arctic Station it has been important to open the station for a wider range of scientists and to foster more collaborative research on mainly terrestrial projects. Therefore, Arctic Station is since 2017 involved in a circumpolar network INTER ACT II In Monitoring at Arctic Station Charlotte Sigsgaard, Regin Rønn, Michele Citterio, Jakob Abermann, Per Juel Hansen, Kirsty Langly, Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Sille Myreng, Casper Tai Christiansen, Aart Kroon, Thomas Friborg, Bo Elberling A new struc ture of the monitoring ac tivities at Arc tic Statio 15 10 10 Temperature (oC) Temperature (oC) 5 0 -5 -10 -15 -20 -+- -25 1992 1996 2000 -10 AVG Winter/coldest months (J, F, M) -20 Max -25 2017 Min Mean annual air temperature 2004 2008 2012 2016 -30 Jan I May Jul Jun Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Figure 1040 31-J an 2-Mar 1-Apr 1-May 31-May 30-J un 30-J ul 29-Aug 28-S ep 28-Oct 27-Nov 27-Dec 2017 1000 960 30 0 20 Wind spe ed (m s -1) -10 -20 10 -30 0 16 12 8 4 0 Wind dir () 300 200 100 S now depth (m) 0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 Ground temp (C ) S oil moisture (vol%) 0 80 10 c 2 20 1 10 0 0 -1 -10 -2 -20 NEE -3 -30 A irT (diurnal mean) -4 Several manual discharge measurements were carried out at various water levels throughout the entire runof f season. The last three years of fresh water runof f from R øde Elv has been calculated using the relation bet ween Figure 9A: Røde Elv 2 June 2017. Photo Charlotte Sigsgaard. Figure 9B: Røde Elv, 6 July 2017. A cold period resulted in very low runoff and no suspended sediment. Photo Elisabeth Larsen Kolstad. Figure 9C: Røde Elv 30 August 2017. Peak runoff during rainy period. The color of the water indicate hi 2017 Discharge (m3s -1) R ain (mm) 20 15 15 10 10 5 5 0 0 -5 Air temp (C ) 20 25 20 10 Turbidity (NTU) 0 600 400 200 Water temp (C ) 0 12 8 4 0 8 pH 7.5 7 6.5 6 7-Jun 17-Jun 27-Jun 7-Jul 17-Jul 27-Jul 6-Aug 16-Aug 26-Aug 5-Sep 15-Sep 25-Sep Figure 10. Røde Elv river 0 0 100 100 100 200 200 200 300 300 300 0 -0- June 27 Ju ly 27 August 15 +-0October 10 Depth (m) 100 50 150 200 250 Nitrate (μgN L ) 0 10 50 Ammonium (μg N L ) -1 -1 15 20 25 Phosphate (μgP L ) -1 Figure 11. Vertical distribution of nitrate, ammonium and phosphate in Figure 13. Automatic weather station, Chamberlin Glacier 2 July 2016 (left). Chamberlin Glacier terminus 8 August 2016. Photo Michele Citterio (right) Figure 14. Installing ablation stake on Chamberlin Glacier 2 July 2016. Photo Jakob Abermann (left) and measuring ablation stake, 8 August 2016. Pho 14 A R C T I C S TAT I O N Research Projects Chasing clouds or how cloud dynamics might influence the climate in the Arctic Glacial Meltwater Sediment Transformation in Arctic River systems (GLAMSTAR) Jordi Cristóbal Rosselló, A siaq- Greenland Sur vey, Greenland Kathr yn Adamson, Manchester Metropolitan Universit y, UK, T C and N cycling and plant performance along a snowbed community gradient, and impact of warming Anders Michelsen, Cathrine Kallestrup, Elisabeth Kolstad, Per Ambus, CENPERM, Universit y of Copenhagen, Denmark w I, I .,i } t Analyzing soilgas from the frozen soil. Photo Anders Michelsen. The fl Effect of aboveground plant stress on biogenic volatile organic compound concentrations in soil Magnus Kramshøj, Riikka Rinnan, Depar tment of Biology, Universit y of Copenhagen, Denmark, Lærke Wester Larsen, Depar tment of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, Universit y of Copenhagen, Denm Snow and ice thicknesses measured with radar on Lyngmarksbræen ice cap. Photo Jacob Clement Yde. West Greenland was to obtain plant material (seeds and silica dried leaf material) of Cochlearia groenlandica from its type locality, Mudderbugten in Disko. The material will be studied genetically and between 1 and 16 May and we collected 82 samples. A total of 5 days were spent at sea of which 4 was on a small fishing boat and 1 on the research vessel Porsild. Additionally, several days were used in the lab to filter water samples. Acquisition of oceanographic measurements from baleen whales Ma A second, smaller bloom occured in the end of May, accompanied by an increase in biodiversity. In addition to the monitoring, a microcosm experiment about the effect of nutrients on the biodiversity in the water was conducted. PWC-Arctic: Effects of dispersed oil droplets and produced water compone Sampling air to study Arctic air microbiology. Photo Nora Els. focused on promises of economic independency based on oil and mineral adventure. This project is designed to look after impacts of climate change to local communities and to evaluate the rights of local people in relation to multination Photo Kent Pørksen 22 A R C T I C S TAT I O N Education Arctic Biology Field Course Charlot te A . B. Køhnke, Thomas A . Arkwright, Camilla H. Schar f fOlsen, Mads Schultz, Cathrine Kallestrup, Lasse Brandt, David H. Blitz, Liv A . No bel, Louise C. Flensborg, Paula M. Gonzalez, Marc Allentof t Larsen, Samuel Black (students), Anders Michelsen, highlight the dif ferences bet ween bulk soil and rhizosphere soil and make an assessment of bulk soils representatively in relation to nutrients in a mesic low-arc tic tundra soil 3. To quantif y how CH 4 oxidation rates change in heath and bare ground with increasing elevation. These changes will Sampling Betula nana leaves from the Arctic Station herbarium. Photo Fabian Ercan A n n u a l R e p o r t 2017 25 Publications Scientific papers 2017 B e n d i xe n, M ., K ro o n, A . (2017 ). Co n ce ptua lizing d e l t a fo r ms a n d p ro ce s s e s in A rc t i c co a s t a l e nv iro n m e nt s . E a r t h Sur fa ce P ro ce s s e s a n d L a n d fo r m s 42, 1227-1237, d o i: 10.10 02 /e s p. 4 0 97. Chr i Members of the board Professor Bo Elberling (Chairman) Depar tment of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Phone: + 45 3532 2520 E-mail: be@ign.ku.dk Git te Henrik sen (Secretar y) Facult y of Science Phone: + 45 3532 4256 E-mail: gin@science.ku.dk Professor MSO Kirsten Seestern Christof fers Title Arc tic Station Annual Repor t 2017 Publisher Board of the Arc tic Station, Univer sit y of Copenhagen, Denmark Editor A ar t Kroon and Charlot te Sigsgaard L ayout and graphic s Kent Pørk sen, Depar tment of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management Internet ver sion ark tisk station.ku.dk