Impact of early food input on the Arctic benthos activities during the polar night

Polar Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 99-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nathalie Morata ◽  
Emma Michaud ◽  
Maria Włodarska-Kowalczuk
Keyword(s):  
2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 749-755 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Sandford ◽  
M. J. Schwartz ◽  
N. J. Mitchell

Abstract. Recent observations of the polar mesosphere have revealed that waves with periods near two days reach significant amplitudes in both summer and winter. This is in striking contrast to mid-latitude observations where two-day waves maximise in summer only. Here, we use data from a meteor radar at Esrange (68° N, 21° E) in the Arctic and data from the MLS instrument aboard the EOS Aura satellite to investigate the wintertime polar two-day wave in the stratosphere, mesosphere and lower thermosphere. The radar data reveal that mesospheric two-day wave activity measured by horizontal-wind variance has a semi-annual cycle with maxima in winter and summer and equinoctial minima. The MLS data reveal that the summertime wave in the mesosphere is dominated by a westward-travelling zonal wavenumber three wave with significant westward wavenumber four present. It reaches largest amplitudes at mid-latitudes in the southern hemisphere. In the winter polar mesosphere, however, the wave appears to be an eastward-travelling zonal wavenumber two, which is not seen during the summer. At the latitude of Esrange, the eastward-two wave reaches maximum amplitudes near the stratopause and appears related to similar waves previously observed in the polar stratosphere. We conclude that the wintertime polar two-day wave is the mesospheric manifestation of an eastward-propagating, zonal-wavenumber-two wave originating in the stratosphere, maximising at the stratopause and likely to be generated by instabilities in the polar night jet.


2013 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 2096-2116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hitchcock ◽  
Theodore G. Shepherd ◽  
Gloria L. Manney

Abstract A novel diagnostic tool is presented, based on polar-cap temperature anomalies, for visualizing daily variability of the Arctic stratospheric polar vortex over multiple decades. This visualization illustrates the ubiquity of extended-time-scale recoveries from stratospheric sudden warmings, termed here polar-night jet oscillation (PJO) events. These are characterized by an anomalously warm polar lower stratosphere that persists for several months. Following the initial warming, a cold anomaly forms in the middle stratosphere, as does an anomalously high stratopause, both of which descend while the lower-stratospheric anomaly persists. These events are characterized in four datasets: Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) temperature observations; the 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) and Modern Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) reanalyses; and an ensemble of three 150-yr simulations from the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model. The statistics of PJO events in the model are found to agree very closely with those of the observations and reanalyses. The time scale for the recovery of the polar vortex following sudden warmings correlates strongly with the depth to which the warming initially descends. PJO events occur following roughly half of all major sudden warmings and are associated with an extended period of suppressed wave-activity fluxes entering the polar vortex. They follow vortex splits more frequently than they do vortex displacements. They are also related to weak vortex events as identified by the northern annular mode; in particular, those weak vortex events followed by a PJO event show a stronger tropospheric response. The long time scales, predominantly radiative dynamics, and tropospheric influence of PJO events suggest that they represent an important source of conditional skill in seasonal forecasting.


2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 469-471 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Grémillet ◽  
Grégoire Kuntz ◽  
Caroline Gilbert ◽  
Antony J Woakes ◽  
Patrick J Butler ◽  
...  

Most seabirds are visual hunters and are thus strongly affected by light levels. Dependence on vision should be problematic for species wintering at high latitudes, as they face very low light levels for extended periods during the Polar night. We examined the foraging rhythms of male great cormorants ( Phalacrocorax carbo ) wintering north of the Polar circle in West Greenland, conducting the first year-round recordings of the diving activity in a seabird wintering at high latitudes. Dive depth data revealed that birds dived every day during the Arctic winter and did not adjust their foraging rhythms to varying day length. Therefore, a significant proportion of the dive bouts were conducted in the dark (less than 1 lux) during the Polar night. Our study underlines the stunning adaptability of great cormorants and raises questions about the capacity of diving birds to use non-visual cues to target fish.


2014 ◽  
Vol 27 (19) ◽  
pp. 7250-7269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil P. Barton ◽  
Stephen A. Klein ◽  
James S. Boyle

Abstract Previous research has found that global climate models (GCMs) usually simulate greater lower tropospheric stabilities compared to reanalysis data. To understand the origins of this bias, the authors examine hindcast simulations initialized with reanalysis data of six GCMs and find that four of the six models simulate within five days a positive bias in Arctic lower tropospheric stability during the Arctic polar night over sea ice regions. These biases in lower tropospheric stability are mainly due to cold biases in surface temperature, as very small potential temperature biases exist aloft. Similar to previous research, polar night surface temperature biases in the hindcast runs relate to all-sky downwelling longwave radiation in the models, which very much relates to the cloud liquid water. Also found herein are clear-sky longwave radiation biases and a fairly large clear-sky longwave radiation bias in the day one hindcast. This clear-sky longwave bias is analyzed by running the same radiation transfer model for each model’s temperature and moisture profile, and the model spread in clear-sky downwelling longwave radiation with the same radiative transfer model is found to be much less, suggesting that model differences other than temperature and moisture are aiding in the spread in downwelling longwave radiation. The six models were also analyzed in Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) mode to determine if hindcast simulations are analogous to free-running simulations. Similar winter lower tropospheric stability biases occur in four of the six models with surface temperature biases relating to the winter lower tropospheric stability values.


2020 ◽  
Vol 287 (1933) ◽  
pp. 20201001
Author(s):  
Mickael Perrigault ◽  
Hector Andrade ◽  
Laure Bellec ◽  
Carl Ballantine ◽  
Lionel Camus ◽  
...  

Arctic regions are highly impacted by climate change and are characterized by drastic seasonal changes in light intensity and duration with extended periods of permanent light or darkness. Organisms use cyclic variations in light to synchronize daily and seasonal biological rhythms to anticipate cyclic variations in the environment, to control phenology and to maintain fitness. In this study, we investigated the diel biological rhythms of the Arctic scallop, Chlamys islandica , during the autumnal equinox and polar night. Putative circadian clock genes and putative light perception genes were identified in the Arctic scallop. Clock gene expression oscillated in the three tissues studied (gills, muscle, mantle edge). The oscillation of some genes in some tissues shifted from daily to tidal periodicity between the equinox and polar night periods and was associated with valve behaviour. These results are the first evidence of the persistence of clock gene expression oscillations during the polar night and might suggest that functional clockwork could entrain rhythmic behaviours in polar environments.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarina Abrahamsson ◽  
Patric Simoes Pereira ◽  
Adela Dumitrascu ◽  
Carlos A. Cuevas ◽  
Alfonso Saiz-Lopez

<p>A number of volatile halogenated organic compounds (halocarbons) have been shown to be emitted from the oceans and more lately from sea ice. Several of these contribut to halogens to the troposphere which are involved in a number of atmospheric processes amongst these the destruction of ozone and the speciation of mercury. Historically, most measurements in the Arctic has been performed during summer conditions, but no campaign to the high Arctic has been performed during winter time.</p><p>Here we present the first suite of measurements of halocarbons in air and surface water during polar night during the MOSAiC (Multi-disciplinary Drifting Observatory for the Study of the Arctic Climate) expedition from October 2019 to May 2020. Comparisons will be made with measurements during summer in August 2018.</p>


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 547-586
Author(s):  
Z. Mariani ◽  
K. Strong ◽  
M. Palm ◽  
R. Lindenmaier ◽  
C. Adams ◽  
...  

Abstract. The Extended-range Atmospheric Emitted Radiance Interferometer (E-AERI) was installed at the Polar Environment Atmospheric Research Laboratory (PEARL) at Eureka, Nunavut, Canada in October 2008. Spectra from the E-AERI provide information about the radiative balance and budgets of trace gases in the Canadian high Arctic. Measurements are taken every seven minutes year-round, including polar night when the solar-viewing spectrometers at PEARL are not operated. This allows E-AERI measurements to fill the gap in the PEARL dataset during the four months of polar night. Measurements were taken year-round in 2008–2009 at the PEARL Ridge Lab, which is 610 m above sea-level, and from 2011-onwards at the Zero-Altitude PEARL Auxiliary Lab (0PAL), which is 15 km from the Ridge Lab at sea level. Total columns of O3, CO, CH4, and N2O have been retrieved using a modified version of the SFIT2 retrieval algorithm adapted for emission spectra. This provides the first nighttime measurements of these species at Eureka. Changes in the total columns driven by photochemistry and dynamics are observed. Analyses of E-AERI retrievals indicate accurate spectral fits (root-mean-square residuals < 1.5%) and a 10–15% uncertainty in the total column, depending on the trace gas. O3 comparisons between the E-AERI and a Bruker IFS 125HR Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer, three Brewer spectrophotometers, two UV-visible ground-based spectrometers, and a System D'Analyse par Observations Zenithales (SAOZ) at PEARL are made from 2008–2009 and for 2011. 125HR CO, CH4, and N2O columns are also compared with the E-AERI measurements. Mean relative differences between the E-AERI and the other spectrometers are 1–14% (depending on the gas), which are less than the E-AERI's total column uncertainties. The E-AERI O3 and CO measurements are well correlated with the other spectrometers; the best correlation is with the 125HR (r > 0.92). The 24-h diurnal cycle and 365-day seasonal cycle of CO are observed and their amplitudes are quantified by the E-AERI (6–12% and 46%, respectively). The seasonal variability of H2O has an impact on the retrievals, leading to larger uncertainties in the summer months. Despite increased water vapour at the lower-altitude site 0PAL, measurements at 0PAL are consistent with measurements at PEARL.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-422
Author(s):  
Svetlana N. Balashova ◽  
Anna V. Samodova ◽  
Liliya K. Dobrodeeva ◽  
Natalya K. Belisheva
Keyword(s):  

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