Jan Mayen Island in Scientific Focus

Front Cover
Stig Skreslet
Springer Science & Business Media, Nov 30, 2004 - Science - 364 pages

Jan Mayen is a volcanic island surrounded by the deep Greenland, Iceland and Norwegian Seas. There, atmospheric and oceanic processes unleash potential energy that forces very dynamic interactions between sea and air. This unique geophysical focal point generates climatic variability in northern Europe, and supports marine biological production that sustains the yield of large living resources. The marine populations are clearly fluctuating with variations in climate, and raises questions about effects of man-made climate change. Since the last Ice Age the sinking of Greenland Sea Deep-Water has been a substantial driving force for the Global Thermo-Haline Circulation which feeds warm Atlantic water into the Nordic Seas. Global warming may interact with the deep-water formation and force feedback mechanisms that express themselves beyond imagination. The book addresses such problems to raise an interest for doing research on the island and in its waters. The potentials for doing that increases when the island's Loran-C station closes down in 2005. The book recommends how the international scientific community may gain access to this really challenging arena for local, regional and Global research. It is a blueprint for the logistics required for science to succeed in a very remote and physically demanding place on Earth.

 

Contents

Research Operations on Jan Mayen Island Feasibility Scope and Legitimacy
1
Geology of Jan Mayen Island and Surroundings An Overview
13
The Potential of the Beerenberg Glaciers for Climate Studies
27
Meteorological Observations on Jan Mayen
37
North Atlantic Influence on Lithuanian Climate Effects of LargeScale Atmospheric Circulation
41
Northern Hemispheric Air Circulation
55
Natural and Anthropogenic Aerosols in Arctic Areas
67
On the Origin of Climatic Signals in the Nordic Seas
79
Seabird Research and Monitoring on Jan Mayen
181
Dispersal of Plants in Remote ArcticAlpine Habitats Modes and TimeScales for Colonization
195
Biological Premises for Management of an Arctic Fox Alopex Iagopus Population The Demise and Future of the HareFooted Fox on Jan Mayen
207
Research Opportunities for Jan Mayen Using Stable Isotope Analyses LongTerm Monitoring of Marine and Freshwater Foodwebs
219
The Jan Mayen Whaling Industry Its Exploitation of the Greenland Right Whale and its Impact on the Marine Ecosystem
229
Past and Present Infrastructure of Jan Mayen as Historical Documents The Fate of Anthropogenic Remains
239
Research Operations in Remote Arctic Islands The Model of the Polish Polar Station Hornsund in Spitsbergen
249
Jan Mayen Island and its Waters as Potential Targets for European Arctic Research
261

The Circulation of the Nordic Seas
91
Jan Mayen Island Ecology Its Relation to the Arctic Mediterranean Ecosystem
101
Sea Ice Export as an Indicator of Changing Arctic Ocean Ecology
113
Zooplankton Habitats of the Greenland Sea An Experimental Laboratory for Studies of Pelagic Ecology
123
Continuous Plankton Recorder Observations Extension of the System into the Nordic Seas
135
Cyclic Variability of Climate and Fisheries Resources Relevance for the Nordic Seas
147
The Marine Sublittoral Fauna of Jan Mayen Island Zoogeography and Succession on New Lava Grounds
159
The Marine Fauna of Arctic Islands as Bioindicators
173
The Scope for Norwegian Commitments Related to International Research on Jan Mayen Island
269
Norwegian Protection of Arctic Islands Restrictions and Consequences
279
Jan Mayen Infrastructure Plans for the Future
281
The Logistics of Past Scientific Research on Jan Mayen Island How to Land Exist and Work
285
Logistics for Future Jan Mayen Island Research Results from NATO Advanced Research Workshop
295
Summary of NATO ARW BluePrint for Jan Mayen Island Research Development
341
Index
345
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