Influence of a Glacier Melting Cycle on the Seasonal Hydrographic Conditions and Sediment Flux in a Subantarctic Glacial Fjord

Seasonal dynamics of meroplankton in a sub-Antarctic fjord (Southern Patagonia, Chile)

“…The water column in the fjord is vertically stratified by a thermo- and halocline located at approximately 10 m water depth. The two layers were characterized by Salcedo-Castro et al ( 2015 ) as an upper brackish water layer with relatively high primary production, low temperatures, and salinities, and a deeper layer with lower productivity which is slightly warmer and saltier. The brackish water layer has higher temperature variations (4.2 to 10.8 °C) and slightly lower salinity range (21.4 to 29.6) than the deeper layer (5.8–9.7 °C and 21.4–30.4, respectively).…”

“…The water column in Gallegos Sound is well oxygenated throughout the year with oxygen concentrations > 8 mg L −1 , and chlorophyll a concentrations ranging from >2 to >16 mg L −1 . More details on the seasonality of hydrographic characteristics of the fjord from May 2010 to January 2011 are given by Salcedo-Castro et al ( 2015 ).…”

“…Data for spring and early winter of 2010 and summer of 2011 were extracted from the study of Salcedo-Castro et al ( 2015 ). For late winter of 2011, hydrographic data were measured with the same protocol used by Salcedo-Castro et al ( 2015 ).…”

“…Data for spring and early winter of 2010 and summer of 2011 were extracted from the study of Salcedo-Castro et al ( 2015 ). For late winter of 2011, hydrographic data were measured with the same protocol used by Salcedo-Castro et al ( 2015 ). At sixteen stations, a Seabird Electronics SBE19 plus CTDO was deployed to obtain vertical profiles of temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, and fluorescence of chlorophyll a .…”

“…These habitats are highly sensitive to cryosphere–ocean interactions and climate warming (Syvitski et al 1987 ; Kędra et al 2010 ; Grange and Smith 2013 ) and due to their distinct terrigenous inputs (e.g., glacial ice, sediments, and meltwater runoff) might exhibit substantial environmental differences in comparison with adjacent basins and shelves (Grange and Smith 2013 ). High-latitude proglacial fjords have been heavily affected by raise of air temperatures, showing an increase of freshwater and sediment input (e.g., Peck et al 2010b ; Salcedo-Castro et al 2015 ). The sub-Antarctic southern Chile is a region where proglacial fjords are a commonly found feature (Warren and Aniya 1999 ).…”