Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T12:32:52.516Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Sources, diversity and circulation of biogenic compounds in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 January 2008

Arkadiusz Nędzarek*
Affiliation:
Department of Hydrochemistry and Water Protection, University of Agriculture, K. Królewicza 4H, 71-550 Szczecin, Poland Department of Antarctic Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Ustrzycka10-12, 02-141 Warsaw, Poland

Abstract

This paper presents horizontal and seasonal differences in the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the surface waters of Admiralty Bay. The average annual concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were found to be 1.054 and 0.129 mg dm-3 respectively. Organic nitrogen constituted 59% of total nitrogen on average, while N-NO3- was substantially higher than N-NH4+ (0.362 and 0.062 mgN dm-3, respectively). Organic phosphorus constituted 34% of total phosphorus on average, and the mean annual concentration of reactive phosphorus was 0.085 mgP dm-3. The observed concentrations of N and P were higher in the nearshore area and lower in the central part of the Admiralty Bay basin. In explaining this account was taken of surface runoff into the bay, the decay of marine macroalgae in the tidal area and the excretion of N and P by marine animals. The concentrations of total nitrogen and total phosphorus in freshwater streams varied from 0.528–5.698 mgN dm-3 and from 0.088–1.709 mgP dm-3. In laboratory experiments, 24-hour loads of total nitrogen and total phosphorus released from the remains of macroalgae into the waters of the bay were estimated at about 6.2 tN and 10.3 tP, while the approximate quantities excreted by macrozoobenthos were 482 kgN and 48 kgP. The availability of N-NH4+ was seen to be greater in the waters of the bay than has been reported for open water in this part of the ocean and water from the Bransfield Strait had a diluting effect on the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the bay. The role of the wind in carrying mineral salts from waters of the Bay to the inland environment was also discussed.

Type
Life Sciences
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anon. 1985. Sailing directions (planning guide) and en route for Antarctica. Washington, DC: Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic/Topographic Center, 129 pp.Google Scholar
APHA. 1995. Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 19th ed.Washington, DC: American Public Health Association, 1200 pp.Google Scholar
Aristarain, A.J. & Delmas, R.J. 2002. Snow chemistry measurements on James Ross Island (Antarctic Peninsula) showing sea-salt aerosol modifications. Atmospheric Environment, 36, 765772.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkinson, A. & Whitehouse, M.J. 2000. Ammonium excretion by Antarctic krill Euphausia suberba at South Georgia. Limnology and Oceanography, 45, 5563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballester, A., Rovira, J., Castellvi, J. & Julia, A. 1987. Expedition Antarctica '86. In Castellvi, J., ed. Resultados Cientificios. Actas del Secundo Symposium Español de estudios antarcticos. Madrid: SCIC, 120.Google Scholar
Barrera-Oro, E.R., Marschoff, E. & Casaux, R. 2000. Trends in relative abundance of fjord Notothenia rossii, Gobionotothen gibberifrons and Notothenia coriiceps observed in Potter Cove, South Shetland Islands, after the commercial fishing in the area. CCAMLR Science, 7, 4352.Google Scholar
Battke, Z. 1990. Admiralty Bay. King George Island. Scale 1:50000. Warsaw: E. Romer, State Cartographical Publishing House.Google Scholar
Bertler, N. & 54 others. 2005. Snow chemistry across Antarctica. Annals of Glaciology, 41, 167179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Biggs, D.C. 1982. Zooplankton excretion and NH4+ cycling in near-surface waters of the Southern Ocean. I. Ross sea, austral summer 1977–1978. Polar Biology, 1, 5567.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bodungen, B., Smetacek, V.S., Tilzer, M.M. & Zietzchel, B. 1986. Primary production and sedimentation during the spring in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Deep-Sea Research, 33, 177194.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bojanowski, R. 1984. Hydrochemical obserwations at an anchored station in Ezcurra Inlet. Oceanologia, 15, 2164.Google Scholar
Braun, M., Simoes, J.C., Vogt, S., Bremer, U.F., Blindow, N., Pfender, M., Saurer, H., Aquino, F.E. & Ferron, F.A. 2001. An improved topographic database for King George Island: compilation, application and outlook. Antarctic Science, 13, 4152.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brockington, S. & Peck, L.S. 2001. Seasonality of respiration and ammonium excretion in the Antarctic echinoid Sterechinus neumayeri. Polar Biology, 24, 677686.Google Scholar
Castro, C.G., Rios, A.F., Doval, M.D. & Perez, F.F. 2002. Nutrient utilisation and chlorophyll distribution in the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean during austral summer 1995–96. Deep-Sea Research II, 49, 623641.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Catewicz, Z. 1984. Variability of water flow in the Ezcurra Inlet. Oceanologia, 15, 7395.Google Scholar
Catewicz, Z. & Kowalik, Z. 1985. Harmonic analysis of tides in Admiralty Bay. Oceanologia, 15, 97109.Google Scholar
Clarke, A. & Leakey, R.J.G. 1996. The seasonal cycle of phytoplankton, macronutrients, and the microbial community in a nearshore Antarctic marine ecosystem. Limnology and Oceanography, 41, 12811294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
El-Sayed, S.Z. 1970. On the productivity of the Southern Ocean. In Holdgate, M.W., ed. Antarctic ecology. New York: Academic Press, 119135.Google Scholar
Fattori, I., Becagli, S., Bellandi, S., Castellano, E., Innocenti, M., Mannini, A., Severi, M., Vitale, V. & Udisti, R. 2005. Chemical composition and physical futures of summer aerosol at Terra Nova Bay and Dome C, Antarctica. Journal of Environmental Monitoring, 7, 12561274.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fahnestock, J.T., Povirk, K.L. & Welker, J.M. 2000. Ecological significance of litter redistribution by wind and snow in Arctic landscapes. Ecography, 23, 623631.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figueiras, F.G. & Arbones, B. 1999. Implications of bio-optical modeling of phytoplankton photosynthesis in Antarctic waters: further evidence of no light limitation in the Bransfield Strait. Limnology and Oceanography, 44, 15991608.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Figueiras, F.G., Estrada, M., Lopez, O. & Arbones, B. 1998. Photosynthetic parameter and primary production in the Bransfield Strait: relationships with mesoscale hydrogaphic structures. Journal of Marine Systems, 17, 129141.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fraser, K.P., Peck, L.S. & Clarke, A. 2004. Protein synthesis, RNA concentrations, nitrogen excretion, and metabolism vary seasonally in the Antarctic holothurian Heterocucumis steineni (Ludwig 1898). Physiology Biochemistry and Zoology, 77, 556569.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, N.S. 1991. Microphytobentic seasonality in nearshore marine sediments at Signy Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica. Estuarine Coastal Shelf Science, 33, 89104.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goeyens, L., Semeneh, M., Baumann, M.E.M., Elskens, M., Shopova, D. & Dehairs, F. 1998. Phytoplanktonic nutrient utilisation and nutrient signature in the Southern Ocean. Journal of Marine Systems, 17, 143157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grasshoff, K. 1976. Methods of seawater analysis. Weinheim: Verlag Chemie, 317 pp.Google Scholar
Guildford, S.J. & Heckey, R.E. 2000. Total nitrogen, total phosphorus and nutrient limitation in lakes and oceans: is there a common relationship? Limnology and Oceanography, 45, 12131223..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gurgul, H., Stochmal, W., Szymczak, W. & Rakusa-Suszczewski, S. 1992. Spatial and seasonal changes of transparency in water of the Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetlands, the Antarctic). Polish Archive of Hydrobiology, 39, 113.Google Scholar
Jazdżewski, K., Jurasz, W., Kitel, W., Presler, P. & Siciński, J. 1986. Abdudance and biomass estimates of the benthic fauna in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, South Shetland Islands. Polar Biology, 6, 516.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Juchnowicz-Bierbasz, M. & Rakusa-Suszczewski, S. 2002. Nutrients and cations in soil solution from the present and relict penguin colonies (Admiralty Bay, King George Island). Polish Journal of Ecology, 50, 7991.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, R.S., Fisher, E.C.Walthus, H.G., King, A.L., Laubacher, M. & Sullivan, B. 2003. Temporal patterns in the distribution, biomass and community structure of macrozooplankton and micronekton within Port Foster, Deception Island, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Research II, 50, 17651785.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Konnov, V.A. & Borodkin, S.D. 1993. Hydrochemical conditions for primary production estimates in Atlantic Sector of Southern Ocean. In Klekowski, R.Z. & Opaliński, K.W., eds. The Second Polish-Soviet Antarctic Symposium. Dziekanów Leśny: Institute of Ecology, 5155.Google Scholar
Kopczyńska, E.E. 1993. Net phytoplankton annual cycle (February 1990–January 1991) in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, West Antarctic. Polish Polar Research, 14, 383392.Google Scholar
Legrand, M., Ducroz, F., Wagenbach, D., Mulvaney, R. & Hall, J. 1998. Ammonium in coastal Antarctic aerosol and snow: role of polar ocean and penguin emissions. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103, 11 04311 056.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lipski, M. 1987. Variations of physical conditions, nutrients and chlorophyll a contents in Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetlands Islands, 1979). Polish Polar Research, 8, 307332.Google Scholar
Lipski, M. & Rakusa-Suszczewski, S. 1990. Early summer pattern of vertical distribution of chlorophyll a (Bransfield Strait, Antarctica, November 1986). Polish Archives of Hydrobiology, 37, 287293.Google Scholar
Lopez, O., Garcia, M.A. & Arcilla, A.S. 1994. Tidal and residual currents in the Bransfield Strait. Antarctica Annales Geophysicae, 12, 887902.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nędzarek, A. & Rakusa-Suszczewski, S. 2004. Decomposition of macroalgae and the release of nutrients in Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica. Polar Bioscience, 17, 2635.Google Scholar
Pęcherzewski, K. 1980. Distribution and quantity of suspended matter in Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetland Islands). Polish Polar Research, 1, 7582.Google Scholar
Peck, L.S. & Veal, R. 2001. Feeding, metabolism and growth in the Antarctic limpet, Nacella concinna (Strebel 1908). Marine Biology, 138, 553660.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peng, J., Guangtao, Z., Song, S. & Chaolun, L. 2001. Study on the metabolism of two dominant copepods: Calanoides acutus and Metridia gerlachei collected in summer from the marginal ice zone of the Prydz Bay, Antarctica. Chinese Journal of Polar Science, 2, 349357.Google Scholar
Pruszak, Z. 1980. Current circulation in the water of Admiralty Bay (region of Arctowski station on King George Island). Polish Polar Research, 1, 5574.Google Scholar
Rabalais, N.N. 2002. Nitrogen in aquatic ecosystems. Ambio, 31, 102112.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rakusa-Suszczewski, S. 1995. Flow of matter in the Admiralty Bay area, King George Island, maritime Antarctic. Polar Biology, 8, 101113.Google Scholar
Redfield, A., Ketchum, B. & Richards, F. 1963. The influence of organisms on the composition of sea-water. In Hill, M.N., ed. The sea. New York: Academic Press, 2677.Google Scholar
Samp, R. 1980. Selected environmental factors in the waters of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetlands Islands). Polish Polar Research, 1, 5366.Google Scholar
StatSoft Inc. 2005. Statistica (data analysis software system), version 7.1. www.statsoft.com.Google Scholar
Sturz, A.A., Gray, S.C., Dykes, K., King, A. & Radtke, J. 2003. Seasonal chenges of dissolved nutrients within and around Port Foster Deception Island, Antarctica. Deep-Sea Research II, 50, 16851705.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Suzuki, T., Iizuka, Y., Matsuoka, K., Furukawa, T., Kamiyama, K. & Watanabe, O. 2002. Distribution of sea salt components in snow cover along the traverse route from the coast to Dome Fuji station 1000 km inland at east Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. Tellus B, 54, 407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Szafrański, Z. & Lipski, M. 1982. Characteristic of water temperature and salinity at Admiralty Bay (King George Island) during austral summer 1978–1979. Polish Polar Research, 15, 1220.Google Scholar
Tatur, A. & Myrcha, A. 1984. Ornithogenic soils on King George Island, South Shetland Islands (Maritime Antarctic Zone). Polish Polar Research, 5, 3160.Google Scholar
Trivelpiece, W.Z., Trivelpeice, S.G. & Volkman, N.J. 1987. Ecological segregation of Adélie, gentoo, and chinstrap penguins at King George Island, Antarctica. Ecology, 68, 351361.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wożniak, B., Hapter, R. & Maj, B. 1984. The inflow of solar energy and the irradiance of the euphotic zone in the region of Ezcurra Inlet during the Antarctic summer of 1977/78. Oceanologia, 15, 141170.Google Scholar
Zieliński, K. 1981. Benthic macroalgae of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetlands) and circulation of algal matter between the water and the shore. Polish Polar Research, 2, 7194.Google Scholar
Zieliński, K. 1990. Bottom macroalgae of Admiralty Bay (King George Island, South Shetlands, Antarctica). Polish Polar Research, 11, 95131.Google Scholar