Abstract
The basic environmental variables and adaptability of phytoplankton communities to low light and salinity were studiedusing incubation experiments in Kongsfjorden, a high Arctic fjord of Spitsbergen, in late summer 2006. Chlorophyll a concentrationswere steady or decreased slightly in darkness after one day or one week incubation. Chlorophyll a concentrations showedan initial decline when exposed to natural light after one week incubation in darkness, and then increased significantly. In a salinityexperiment, the maximal growth rate was observed at a dilution ratio of 10%, however, higher dilution ratios (≥40%) had an obviousnegative effect on phytoplankton growth. We suggest that the phytoplankton communities in fjords in late summer are darknessadapted, and the inflow of glacial melt water is favorable for phytoplankton growth in the outer fjords where the influence offreshwater is limited.
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