Zooplankton and sediment fluxes in two contrasting fjords reveal Atlantification of the Arctic.

Svalbard fjords are facing a significant increase in Atlantic water inflow, which influences all ecosystem components, thus the objective of this study was to assess how recent Atlantification impacts the functioning of zooplankton community. For this purpose, two year-round operating sediment traps and associated hydrographic instruments, providing continuous time series of zooplankton and sediment fluxes, were deployed in the Atlantic-influenced Kongsfjorden and the typical high Arctic fjord Rijpfjorden. We used multivariate statistical methods to analyze how environmental variables, including the sediment fluxes, influence the zooplankton communities in the fjords.