N°30 I quarterly I july 2013 In Images | 29 w the sea ice, the fjord floor, and the water column separating them. “The data collected during this first phase of the project will allow us to identify the key species of the Arctic benthos,” Morata says. The second phase will begin in 2014 at the Ny-Ålesund marine laboratory. The researchers will subject these benthic species to several scenarios integrating a range of varying parameters— including food quality, pH, salinity, and seawater temperature—and measure the results. 03 04 05 01 The Ny-Ålesund scientific base is the world’s northernmost functional public settlement. It is an ideal place to study the impact of climate change on Arctic ecosystems. 02 Glaciers cover 60% of the Svalbard archipelago, an area twice the size of Belgium that includes Spitsbergen. 03 The coastal oceanographic research vessel Teisten, from the international Ny-Ålesund base, was used for the ECOTA B project’s preliminary sampling and tests. 04 Sediments collected off the coast using a stainless steel scoop. The benthic organisms are then carefully sorted and identified. 05 Sediment core collected at the mouth of the fjord at a depth of 300 meters. The presence of several species of marine worm attests to the marine nature of this part of the inlet. 06 Microscopic examination of seawater samples reveals the presence of numerous bivalve larvae which, once adult, will settle on the fjord floor, making up a large part of the benthic fauna. 07 Scientists must drill right through the ice to collect sea ice algae. 07 06 © J. Richar d © Photos 5-6 : N. Mora ta © PHOTO S 1-2-3-4 : E. Amice/cnrs Photothèque
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