The MarineBasis programme has collected monthly and seasonal data on abiotic and biotic parameters in the marine environment since October 2005, along with annual observations on seabirds and marine mammals since 2007 in Godthåbsfjord. The aim of the long-term monitoring programme is to understand the link between dynamics in abiotic and biotic parameters (i.e. physiochemical conditions, marine productivity, sinking flux and re-mineralization, benthic-pelagic exchange, species abundance and composition) and climatic forcing.

Monitoring of the sea ice conditions, using satellite imagery, shows maximum sea ice cover in Baffi n Bay lasting until April/May and followed by a decrease in sea ice cover, reaching a minimum in July/August. By December, sea ice had again covered much of the northern and western parts of Baffi n Bay. Local satellite observations showed a more pronounced sea ice coverage of the inner part of Godthåbsfjord during the winter 2008/09 compared to previous years.

Pelagic sampling showed the re-occurring seaward export of freshwater from glacier and snowmelt forming a fresher and warmer surface layer towards Akia. This surface layer contained the highest phytoplankton biomass values observed throughout the year. Nevertheless, local vertical mixing at the entrance of the fjord created largely homogenous hydrographical conditions throughout the water column at the ‘Main Station’ in spring, and resulted in elevated phytoplankton biomasses at depth. The reoccurring spring phytoplankton bloom in May, led to an abrupt decrease in nutrient levels. Nonetheless, a minor secondary phytoplankton bloom occurred in August, as observed in previous years. Nutrient levels were only completely replenished during autumn, primarily through introduction of offshore nutrient rich waters. Primary production levels (i.e. peak and annual levels) were lower than in previous years, and annual primary production varied by a factor 2.7 during the four annual time series (i.e. 2006-09).

The highest temperatures and salinities along the length section during spring were recorded in the West Greenland current flowing northward outside Fyllas Banke, as observed in previous years. Still, the annually highest measured temperatures and lowest salinities were observed at the ‘Main Station’ during summer. As seen in previous years, the freshwater export declined during autumn and colder weather conditions resulted in a cooling of the surface waters.

Several stations outside Fyllas Banke and within the fjord showed surface water pCO2 levels above atmospheric concentrations. Also monthly pCO2 values during exceeded atmospheric levels. Hence, the Godthåbsfjord system was not as strong a CO2 sink as seen in previous years. Moreover, the average annual surface pCO2 have been constantly increasing during the four year time series (i.e. 2006-09), although it remains below the atmospheric concentrations.

The phytoplankton community was dominated by diatoms throughout the year. Contrary to previous years, diatoms dominated during spring when Phaeocystis (i.e. Haptophyceae) previously has been most abundant. Zooplankton showed significantly lower concentrations than in previous years,  although a similar seasonal succession between copepods, nauplii and other zooplankton was observed. Again, Microsetella sp. remained the most abundant copepod species throughout most of the year. Fish larvae generally occurred in highest numbers at the ‘Main Station’ along the length section from Fyllas Banke to the inner part of the fjord. Previously, the highest concentrations of fi sh larvae at the ‘Main Station’ were recorded in spring, but in 2009, the highest numbers were found during autumn. This was primarily due to a decrease in sand eel larvae during spring and a slight increase in capelin larvae during autumn. A seasonal species succession, from arctic shanny to capelin, occurs at the ‘Main Station’ between spring and autumn. Cod larvae were only observed in May and July. Seasonal patterns in shellfish larvae showed similarities with 2008, although species concentrations differed. Preliminary data indicate that jellyfish were more abundant from May to August in 2009 than in the previous year. The length section generally showed low numbers of crab and shrimp larvae in 2008 and 2009 compared to 2007, although they remained present at the ‘Main Station’ in all three years.

The vertical sinking fluxes of total particulate material remained comparable with previous years, but showed significantly less monthly variability. The low carbon content of the sinking material through all years refl ects the strong influence of lithogenic material from terrestrial sources in the inner part of the fjord. Moreover, two distinct peaks in sinking fl ux of total particulate carbon in August and October may be related to the release of particulate material during draining of two glacial melt ponds in the inner part of the fjord. The estimated annual carbon sinking fl ux remains the highest on record largely driven by the two distinct peaks in carbon sinking fluxes. Sinking fluxes of chlorophyll a followed the seasonal phytoplankton production in the water column.

The sediment (sampled four times per year) showed the highest oxygen consumption in May when biological activity (e.g. bioturbation) and the sinking flux of organic material were high. Oxygen consumption was comparable during the other periods, and oxygen was depleted within 1 cm of the sediment surface during all sampling periods. The physiological status of the dominant sea urchin remained similar to previous year, while the dominant scallop showed a small but signifi cant increase in physiological status. Food availability and water temperature seem to be the key parameters for their physiological conditions, although this cannot yet be statistically verifi ed. The large brown kelp Laminaria longicruris showed a tendency towards larger individual biomass, although the blades had similar length, during the three year sampling period (2007-09). Moreover, the nitrogen content and C/N ratio of the algae varied signifi cantly between years, reflecting differences in the supply and demand of nitrogen and of carbon storage.

Seabird monitoring at a colony (Qeqertannguit) in Godthåbsfjord indicated that kittiwakes, Iceland gulls and arctic terns seemed to do better than in 2008, although some counts where still lower than in 2006-07. Similarly, at the colony (Nunngarussuit) south of Godthåbsfjord the number of guillemots (i.e. common and Brünnich’s guillemot) were higher than in 2008, but remained lower than in 2007. Picture analysis showed that 9 % of the identifi ed guillemots were boreal common guillemots, while the rest was arctic Brünnich’s guillemots.

Monitoring of humpback whales was changed to focus only on photo identification based on individual fluke colour patterns. Photo identifi cation will later be used for mark-recapture analyses to estimate numbers of humpback whales in Godthåbsfjord. Photo identifi cation can also be used for investigating residence time (i.e. how long the animals stay in a given area) and site fi delity (i.e. individuals returning to an area in different years). In 2009, seven individuals were re-identified from 2007-08 and eight new individuals were identifi ed. Preliminary data suggest that fewer animals re-enter the fjord from year to year, although this cannot yet be conclusively established with the small available sample size.