Benthic Faunal Assemblage of the Arctic Kongsfjorden System, Norway

Abstract

Kongsfjord is an open glacial fjord on the west coast of Svalbard, located northwards to Norway. Benthic samples were collected from seven selected locations as a part of summer Phase III group 2 – Indian Arctic Expedition 2011. The characteristic macro benthic fauna observed in the soft bottom glacial community include Foraminifera, Nematoda, Polychaeta, Bivalvia, Amphipoda, Calanoid copepoda and Ostracoda, out of which polychaetes (59%) and nematodes (21%) were abundant. The meio benthic group was constituted by Nematoda, Foraminifera, Bivalvia, Polychaeta, Harpacticoid copepoda, Gastrotricha, and Kinoryncha, of which nematodes (54%) followed by foraminferans (37%) were the dominant group. A significant difference in the distribution of meio benthos between the inner and outer fjords was observed. Multivariate analysis of macro and meio fauna showed an overall similarity of ~ 80% among stations. The inner and outer fjords were similar in terms of granulomertic composition and were also silt dominated in the entire Kongsfjorden system. Total carbon (TC) and total organic carbon (TOC) were higher in the outer fjord, but the total inorganic carbon (TIC) was slightly higher in the inner fjord. The diversity and abundance of benthic organisms was strongly influenced by sediment characteristics, glacial inputs and Atlantic water mass movements making the ecosystem unpredictable.