Showing papers by "University of Lapland published in 1994"

Characteristics and distribution patterns of snow and meteoric ice in the Weddell Sea and their contribution to the mass balance of sea ice

Abstract: . Based on snow- and ice-thickness measurements at >11 000 points augmented by snow- and icecore studies during 4 expeditions from 1986 - 92 in the Weddell Sea, we describe characteristics and distribution patterns of snow and meteoric ice and assess their importance for the mass balance of sea ice. For first-year ice (FY) in the central and eastern Weddell Sea, mean snow depth amounts to 0.16 m (mean ice thickness 0.75 m) compared to 0.53 m (mean ice thickness 1.70 m) for second-year ice (SY) in the northwestern Weddell Sea. Ridged ice retains a thicker snow cover than level ice, with ice thickness and snow depth negatively correlated for the latter, most likely due to aeolian redistribution. During the different expeditions, 8, 15, 17 and 40% of all drill holes exhibited negative freeboard. As a result of flooding and brine seepage into the snow pack, snow salinities averaged 4‰. Through 18O measurements the distribution of meteoric ice (i.e. precipitation) in the sea-ice cover was assessed. Roughly 4% of the total ice thickness consist of meteoric ice (FY 3%, SY 5%). With a mean density of 290 kg/m3, the snow cover itself contributes 8% to total ice mass (7% FY, 11% SY). Analysis of ∆18O in snow indicates a local maximum in accumulation in the 65 to 75°S latitude zone. Hydrogen peroxide in the snow has proven useful as a temporal tracer and for identification of second-year floes. Drawing on accumulation data from stations at the Weddell Sea coast, it becomes clear that the onset of ice growth is important for the evolution of ice thickness and the interaction between ice and snow. Loss of snow to leads due to wind drift may be considerable, yet is reduced owing to metamorphic processes in the snow column. This is confirmed by a comparison of accumulation data from coastal stations and from snow depths over sea ice. Temporal and spatial accumulation patterns of snow are shown to be important in controlling the sea-ice cover evolution.

Passive microwave observations of the Weddell Sea during austral winter and early spring

Abstract: The results of multispectral passive microwave observations (6.7 to 90-GHz) are presented from the cruises of the FS Polarstern in the Weddell Sea from July to December 1986. This paper includes primarily the analysis of radiometric observations taken at ice station sites. Averaged emissivity spectra for first-year (FY) ice were relatively constant throughout the experiment and were not statistically different from FY ice signatures in the Arctic. Detailed ice characterization was carried out at each site to compare the microwave signatures of the ice with the physical properties. Absorption optical depths of FY ice were found to be sufficiently high that only the structure in the upper portions of the ice contributed significantly to interstation emissivity variations. The emissivities at 90-GHz, e(90), had the greatest variance. Both e(90) at vertical polarization and GR(sub e)(90, 18.7)(defined as (e(sub V)(90)-e(sub V)(18.7))/e(sub V)(90 + e(sub V)(18.7)) depended on the scattering optical depth which is a function of the snow grain diameter and layer thickness. The variance showed a latitude dependence and is probably due to an increase in the strength of snow metamorphism nearer the northern edge of the ice pack. The contribution of variations of near-surface brine volume to the emissivity was not significant over the range of values encountered at the station sites. Emissivity spectra are presented for a range of thin ice types. Unsupervised principal component analysis produced three significant eigenvectors and showed a separation among four different surface types: open water, thin ice, FY ice, and FY ice with a thick snow cover. A comparison with SMMR satellite data showed that average ice concentrations derived from the ship's ice watch log were consistent with the satellite concentrations. The surface based emissivities for FY ice were also compared with emissivities calculated from scanning multichannel microwave radiometer (SMMR) satellite radiances. Best agreement was found at 6.7 and 10-GHz, while at 18 and 37-GHz, SMMR emissivities were slightly lower than surface based results. For the three lower frequencies agreement was found within a confidence limit of 95% and for 37-GHz within about 90%.

The importance of bryophytes in the classification of human‐disturbed high arctic vegetation

Abstract: . Evidence is presented from a variety of tundra cover types under human disturbance at three sites in the Canadian High Arctic to indicate that higher plants may be insufficient to differentiate among the apparently distinct geobotanical signatures of discrete surface disturbances. Unlike in the Low Arctic, woody growth forms are often minimal or lacking on heavily disturbed ground and several prominent species of ruderal herbs and especially graminoids occur on a wide variety of substrates. Therefore, cryptogams, particularly bryophytes, are important indicator taxa. Presence-absence data on bryophytes from minerotrophic and oligotrophic soils, combined with vascular cover-abundance data, enhanced detection of patch-level floristic gradients within and among disjunct coastal lowlands. However, the pool of ruderal bryophytes is limited, and ultimately factors such as frequency and abundance should be considered.

Observations on the Effects of Acid Rain Treatment on Needle Surfaces of Scots Pine and Norway Spruce Seedlings

Abstract: Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) seedlings were subjected to acid rain treatment at pH 3, pH 4 and pH 7 in a field experiment during 1986-1989. SEM+EDS, TEM, and measurements of wax quantity were used to detect changes in needle surfaces. After 5 weeks at pH 3 and pH 4 acid rain treatment, CaSO4 - crystallites were observed on visibly undamaged pine and spruce needle surfaces. Direct acid rain damage in conjunction with CaSO4 - crystallites was observed only occasionally in wax structures. Two-month-old pine needles had 50% less wax in early August after exposure at pH 3 and pH 4 than water controls. The occurrence of CaS04 -crystallites on acid rain-treated needle surfaces, and more abundant deposition of Ca oxalate crystallites in the inner walls of epi- and hypodermal cells could be involved with acid rain-induced calcium leaching. Calcium sulphate is probably a result of the disturbed wax and cuticle biosynthesis resulting in undeveloped, permeable cuticles. At the end of experiment, no CaS04 - crystallites were seen on needle surfaces. Soil analysis revealed an increase in the soluble Ca concentrations at pH 3.

Characteristics and Geographical Distribution of the Changes in Scots Pine Needle Surfaces in Finnish Lapland and the Kola Peninsula

Abstract: Effects of air pollution and a variety of other environmental factors on physicochemical characteristics of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needle surfaces were studied in an extensive field investigation, comprising 114 sample plots (356 trees) on transect lines extending from the Nikel and Monchegorsk industrial complexes on the Kola Peninsula, Russia, across Finnish Lapland. Preliminary results from some of the investigated physicochemical parameters are presented in this paper. Condition of epicuticular wax structures, occurrence of particle deposition, fungal hyphae and insect damage on needle surfaces were investigated quantitatively under a scanning electron microscope, and needle wettability was measured in terms of contact angles. The investigated parameters showed great variability in terms of pollution, climate and ecology. Both the epicuticular wax erosion rate and needle wettability changed significantly faster during the first year on pines in Kola Peninsula, Russia (transect 1, extending to Monchegorsk) than on pines in Finland (transects 1,2,3,7). Site dependent effects, e. g., variation in ecological conditions of the sample plot, could be diminished by investigating the rate of change in the physicochemical parameter of pine needle surface during the first year, instead of using absolute values from different needle age classes.

Effects of Ozone Exposures on Epicuticular Wax of Ponderosa Pine Needles

Abstract: Two-year-old ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa L.) seedlings were exposed during the 1989 and 1990 growing seasons to ozone in open-top chambers placed in a forested location at Shirley Meadow, Greenhorn Mountain Range, Sierra Nevada. The ozone treatments were as follows: charcoal-filtered air (CF); charcoal-filtered air with addition of ambient concentrations of ozone (CF + O3); and charcoal-filtered air with addition of doubled concentrations of ozone (CF + 2 x O3). Ozone effects on ponderosa pine seedlings progressed and accumulated over two seasons of exposure. Throughout the first season, increased visible injury and accelerated senescence of the foliage were noted. Subsequently, during the second season of ozone exposure, various physiological and biochemical changes in the foliage took place. All these changes led to reduced growth and biomass of the seedlings. Epistomatal waxes of needles from the CA + 2 x O3 treatment had an occluded appearance. This phenomenon may be caused by earlier phenological development of needles from the high-ozone treatments and disturbed development and synthesis of waxes. It may also be caused by chemical degradation of waxes by exposures to high ozone concentrations.