Could Norwegian fjords serve as an analogue for the future of the Svalbard fjords? State and fate of high latitude fjords in the face of progressive “atlantification”

Abstract

AbstractBenthic foraminifera are one of the most widely and abundantly distributed organisms in the fjords of Svalbard and Norway. Due to their short life span and quick reactivity to environmental changes they can be used as indicators of the “atlantification” process. Here, we compare the benthic foraminifera assemblages along the latitudinal gradient, from the fjords of northern Svalbard to southern Norway to assess whether the “atlantification” process may homogenise the foraminiferal assemblages in terms of their abundance and species composition. Furthermore, the previously published data on benthic foraminiferal faunas was updated to identify changes in distribution that have occurred over the last few decades. For this purpose, fjord mouths in western and northern Svalbard (Isfjorden, Wijdefjorden and Rijpfjorden) and northern and southern Norway (Balsfjorden, Raunefjorden and Hjeltefjorden) were resampled. The analysis revealed similarities between the Svalbard and Norwegian foraminiferal assemblages of up to 30%; however, there were essential differences in terms of abundance and biodiversity. These results suggest that Svalbard fjords will remain distinct in the future, even under conditions of further warming or “atlantification”. Svalbard fjords may be dominated by Atlantic Water- preferring species, whereas, in Norwegian fjords, pressure from human activity will probably be the main driver of environmental changes, leading to changes in the foraminiferal assemblages with the increasing dominance of opportunistic, hypoxia-tolerant species.