WEBVTT 00:07.900 --> 00:14.233 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% [Narrator] The far North. 00:14.233 --> 00:22.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% A storied place of daring exploration and untamed wilderness. 00:22.200 --> 00:31.466 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% But the high Arctic is also a place of rapid change. 00:31.466 --> 00:37.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Ingrid] The temperature in the Arctic is rising at a faster rate than the rest of the 00:37.100 --> 00:38.833 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% world. 00:38.833 --> 00:41.800 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% [Signe Maria] Up here we see the changes most. 00:41.800 --> 00:45.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The glacier fronts are literally disappearing in front of our eyes here. 00:45.000 --> 00:49.200 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% It goes very fast. 00:49.200 --> 00:53.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] These changes are taking place at a time when modern science doesn'’’t have 00:53.900 --> 01:00.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% a full understanding of how Arctic ecosystems work during all times of the year. 01:00.566 --> 01:05.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Jorgen] The polar night, that's defined as the period when the sun is below the horizon, 01:05.200 --> 01:08.133 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% 24hours a day. 01:08.133 --> 01:11.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% The length of the polar night varies according to latitude. 01:11.166 --> 01:14.666 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% At the pole it lasts for 185 days. 01:14.666 --> 01:18.366 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, at the pole, there's only one night and one day. 01:18.366 --> 01:21.166 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% At the Arctic Circle, it lasts for one day. 01:21.166 --> 01:23.600 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% Then there is everything inbetween. 01:23.600 --> 01:28.266 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% [Kirstin] It's basically dark 24/7. 01:28.266 --> 01:33.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And so that has a huge impact on the fjord ecosystem. 01:33.600 --> 01:37.300 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% If there's no light, then there's no primary production. 01:37.300 --> 01:42.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] There are algae in the ocean that are phytoplankton that photosynthesize to 01:42.233 --> 01:47.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% create energy and all other organisms are reliant on that energy. 01:47.133 --> 01:52.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] During the polar night when the base of the food web is basically cut out, 01:52.933 --> 01:58.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% for decades it was just kind of assumed that everything else stops. 01:58.033 --> 02:00.400 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% There's no food. 02:00.400 --> 02:06.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Jorgen] So this period when it's dark had remained completely unsampled and studied 02:06.300 --> 02:10.500 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% for many, many years. 02:10.500 --> 02:17.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] Targeted research into polar night ecology didn'’’t begin until 2009, after an 02:17.500 --> 02:22.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% accidental discovery made scientists realize this wasn'’’t a dormant period in the ocean 02:22.566 --> 02:24.233 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% after all. 02:24.233 --> 02:29.400 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% [Jorgen] It came as a massive surprise. 02:29.400 --> 02:34.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] And the more you look into it, the more you find that there's actually high activity 02:34.000 --> 02:37.133 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% during the polar night. 02:37.133 --> 02:42.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] It's an important piece of the overall ecology of the ecosystem to understand, to 02:42.466 --> 02:45.100 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% tie it in with what's going on in the summer. 02:45.100 --> 02:50.933 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% [Kirstin] Looking at the seasonal patterns in the polar regions is a huge knowledge gap. 02:50.933 --> 02:54.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, filling that in is important for that very base level, fundamental understanding 02:54.466 --> 02:58.233 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% of how does the earth work. 02:58.233 --> 03:03.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And then the second layer is that the Arctic is very rapidly changing. 03:03.600 --> 03:09.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We have warming water, receding sea ice, melting glaciers, things like that happening. 03:09.733 --> 03:16.166 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% So, understanding the consequences of that change is a major question for the scientific 03:16.166 --> 03:20.966 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% community right now. 03:20.966 --> 03:28.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] What tiny animals are active in the ocean during the polar night? 03:28.366 --> 03:45.000 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And how are they able to survive without their main food source? 03:45.000 --> 04:01.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Announcer] Major funding for this program was provided by The Batchelor Foundation encouraging 04:01.700 --> 04:07.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% people to preserve and protect America'’’s underwater resources. 04:07.600 --> 04:13.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Additional funding was provided by Trish & Dan Bell and by The Parrot Family Endowment for 04:13.000 --> 04:16.800 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Environmental Education. 04:16.800 --> 04:23.166 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% [Narrator] January. 04:23.166 --> 04:31.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% A time when the northernmost latitudes are wrapped in perpetual darkness. 04:31.666 --> 04:35.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% [Ingrid] So we are in the what we call the high Arctic. 04:35.766 --> 04:38.700 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% It's 79 degrees north. 04:38.700 --> 04:42.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's the northernmost settlement in the world. 04:42.300 --> 04:48.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Jorgen] Here the polar night lasts for approximately four months. 04:48.000 --> 04:53.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Signe Maria] It's like you're tucked into a blanket of darkness. 04:53.833 --> 04:58.366 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% It'’’s quite spectacular. 04:58.366 --> 05:05.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Jorgen] When the solar light becomes dimmer, then the lunar light becomes much more important. 05:05.800 --> 05:14.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The stars, the aurora, the light climate simply changes quite a lot. 05:14.600 --> 05:20.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I think the, the polar night is the most beautiful time of year. 05:20.666 --> 05:25.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% [Kirstin] We are in NyAlesund, Svalbard. 05:25.433 --> 05:31.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Svalbard is an archipelago halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. 05:31.266 --> 05:36.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] The small Norwegian community of NyAlesund is home to the world'’’s northernmost 05:36.033 --> 05:39.433 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% yearround research station. 05:39.433 --> 05:44.566 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% NyAlesund has a storied history. 05:44.566 --> 05:50.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Whalers were the first in the area, followed by coal miners more than a hundred years ago. 05:50.833 --> 05:58.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Ingrid] And it started in the early nineteen hundreds with the Kings Bay Coal Company. 05:58.566 --> 06:03.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] Given its close proximity to the North Pole, NyAlesund has also served as an 06:03.166 --> 06:06.633 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% expedition base. 06:06.633 --> 06:14.633 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Famous Norwegian Polar Explorer Roald Amundsen and his team departed from here when in 1926 06:14.633 --> 06:25.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% they became the first to fly over the North Pole in an airship. 06:25.466 --> 06:30.066 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% In later years, the coal mines were shut down, and the community transitioned to a research 06:30.066 --> 06:32.633 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% base. 06:32.633 --> 06:37.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Ingrid] Because there was a big accident in 1962 and that was the end of the mining 06:37.600 --> 06:40.166 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% period. 06:40.166 --> 06:46.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But as NyAlesund had a very good infrastructure, it was in a very good position here at this 06:46.933 --> 06:51.100 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% peninsula to use it for research. 06:51.100 --> 07:00.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] On location yearround since 1968, today the Norwegian Polar Institute, or NPI 07:00.100 --> 07:07.533 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% for short, implements the research strategy on site, which focuses on four flagship disciplines. 07:07.533 --> 07:16.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Ingrid] It's atmosphere, terrestrial ecosystems, marine biology and oceanography and glaciology. 07:16.633 --> 07:22.333 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Narrator] Kings Bay, meanwhile, still owns NyAlesund and maintains all the infrastructure. 07:22.333 --> 07:28.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Signe Maria] Kings Bay is basically the facilitator for the station. 07:28.166 --> 07:34.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We organize transportation, we provide logistics solutions for all the institutions. 07:34.200 --> 07:39.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] Ten institutions run by eleven countries have a permanent or semipermanent 07:39.166 --> 07:44.333 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% presence in NyAlesund. 07:44.333 --> 07:49.766 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Despite its remote location, the community not only boasts stateoftheart research facilities, 07:49.766 --> 07:52.400 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% but also a lot of creature comforts. 07:52.400 --> 07:55.533 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% [Signe Maria] The food is, you know, beyond everything. 07:55.533 --> 07:59.133 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And it's a lot of treats that we have up here. 07:59.133 --> 08:03.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You can feel quite at home I think even if you're here for a longer time. 08:03.666 --> 08:08.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You can have dogs, there's a gym, there's a sauna, there's a jacuzzi. 08:08.400 --> 08:10.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, it's very up to date living wise. 08:10.666 --> 08:13.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% [Kirstin] It's a great place to come to. 08:13.066 --> 08:17.200 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% It's very well set up. 08:17.200 --> 08:22.933 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% [Narrator] Dr. Kirstin MeyerKaiser is based at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 08:22.933 --> 08:25.900 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% or WHOI, in Massachusetts. 08:25.900 --> 08:30.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] The United States does not have a research station here, but nevertheless 08:30.700 --> 08:38.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% we came here because it is such a logistically easy place to do research in the polar night 08:38.333 --> 08:43.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and in the high Arctic because of the support from NPI and from Kings Bay. 08:43.966 --> 08:48.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Ingrid] The Norwegian Polar Institute hosts scientists from countries that do not have 08:48.733 --> 08:54.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% an institution from their own country to represent them. 08:54.166 --> 09:00.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Narrator] Kirstin and her Ph.D. student Kharis Shrage are studying some of the tiniest animals 09:00.200 --> 09:03.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% that are active during the polar night. 09:03.600 --> 09:08.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] Our specific interest is in the early life history stages of all of the organisms 09:08.700 --> 09:15.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% that are living on the sea floor that do not have a backbone. 09:15.100 --> 09:23.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] To find out what larvae are present this time of year, the researchers brave the 09:23.066 --> 09:29.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% arctic cold to collect plankton samples in Kongsfjorden the local fjord. 09:29.666 --> 09:37.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] So, to understand the larvae, we are towing nets behind a small boat and the 09:37.900 --> 09:42.266 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% net has a mesh of 150 microns, which is incredibly fine. 09:42.266 --> 09:46.033 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% Almost like a tshirt. 09:46.033 --> 09:49.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You're letting water through, but most animals will be caught in it. 09:49.866 --> 09:52.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And with that, we can find really small larvae. 09:52.533 --> 09:57.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, we take those up from the net, and in the lab we sort through them all. 09:57.200 --> 10:00.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] Plankton are things that drift around in the water column and have no power to swim 10:00.200 --> 10:02.566 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% against the current. 10:02.566 --> 10:06.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, these basically come in a couple of types. 10:06.900 --> 10:11.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You think of phytoplankton, which are algae, they use sunlight to make food. 10:11.066 --> 10:14.233 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% Zooplankton are animallike plankton. 10:14.233 --> 10:17.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And these are animals that I'm looking at. 10:17.500 --> 10:22.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, I'm interested in things that only live in the water for part of their life cycle. 10:22.433 --> 10:25.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% These are called meroplankton in contrast to holoplankton, which spend their whole life 10:25.166 --> 10:28.566 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% in the water column. 10:28.566 --> 10:31.366 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% I am sorting out all of the things that are the meroplankton, the larvae that I'm interested 10:31.366 --> 10:33.933 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% in. 10:33.933 --> 10:37.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Larvae are small enough that most of them you can't see with the naked eye, so you have 10:37.000 --> 10:40.266 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% to have the microscope. 10:40.266 --> 10:46.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] Prior to preserving specimens in ethanol, Kharis films and photographs the 10:46.433 --> 10:49.000 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% larvae. 10:49.000 --> 10:50.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] Because as soon as you preserve them in ethanol, they're gonna get contorted, 10:50.166 --> 10:52.966 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% they're gonna shrink. 10:52.966 --> 10:57.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So having that live photo before you preserve them or do anything else with them is really, 10:57.733 --> 11:01.533 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% really helpful to identify them later. 11:01.533 --> 11:05.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] Larvae look very different from their adult counterparts, and many larval 11:05.400 --> 11:10.100 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% forms have yet to be identified. 11:10.100 --> 11:16.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DNA analysis of the preserved specimens helps to determine the species, which can then be 11:16.033 --> 11:20.033 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% matched to the known adults. 11:20.033 --> 11:26.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] Most of the organisms in Kongsfjorden are on genetics databases online. 11:26.666 --> 11:31.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% There's been extensive studies in Kongsfjorden. 11:31.433 --> 11:37.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] The scientists are also trying to find out if the larvae are capable of eating 11:37.233 --> 11:39.666 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% this time of year. 11:39.666 --> 11:44.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] Larvae can rely on yolk from their mothers for food. 11:44.100 --> 11:48.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% You know, like Mom's packed you a lunch and you're good to go, or you can get kicked out 11:48.733 --> 11:52.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the front door with no packed lunch and have to find food on your own. 11:52.266 --> 11:56.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And I was finding those types of larvae in the middle of the polar night in 2020, and 11:56.433 --> 12:01.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I was really confused because there's no sunlight, so there's no algae for them to be eating. 12:01.433 --> 12:04.266 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So how in the world do they survive? 12:04.266 --> 12:07.233 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Maybe they're not feeding at all. 12:07.233 --> 12:11.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Maybe they're just kind of like holding on, white knuckling it, you know, until lunchtime 12:11.433 --> 12:15.400 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% when the spring bloom arrives. 12:15.400 --> 12:21.900 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Narrator] The spring bloom occurs when the light returns and phytoplankton can grow again. 12:21.900 --> 12:26.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This fuels an explosion of activity from the bottom of the food chain up. 12:26.933 --> 12:34.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] Many organisms time their reproduction to this burst of food. 12:34.066 --> 12:37.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% That way their larvae get the best chance of having enough food to grow up enough and 12:37.266 --> 12:40.166 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% settle to the sea floor. 12:40.166 --> 12:44.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] To test if the different types of larvae can eat, Kirstin provided them with 12:44.100 --> 12:45.933 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% phytoplankton. 12:45.933 --> 12:50.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% [Kirstin] I actually bought feed from an aquaculture company. 12:50.766 --> 12:55.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% This is what you can like give oysters if you're culturing them. 12:55.266 --> 13:00.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] The bodies of the larvae are clear, making it easy to tell if they have eaten. 13:00.433 --> 13:03.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] If the gut was clear before we put them in with phytoplankton, and it was green 13:03.833 --> 13:07.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% after the phytoplankton, that means they can eat. 13:07.600 --> 13:10.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] The scientists discovered that one of their two test subjects was able to 13:10.933 --> 13:14.600 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% eat. 13:14.600 --> 13:20.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But what might these larvae be eating in the wild in the absence of phytoplankton this 13:20.166 --> 13:22.033 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% time of year? 13:22.033 --> 13:26.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% [Kirstin] And so for this, I've planned an isotope experiment. 13:26.200 --> 13:28.900 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% They might be eating bacteria. 13:28.900 --> 13:32.666 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Bacteria can continue to exist in the water column. 13:32.666 --> 13:37.366 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% There'’’s also dissolved organic matter in the water column. 13:37.366 --> 13:39.766 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% This is just like organic molecules. 13:39.766 --> 13:43.366 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% Amino acids are one example. 13:43.366 --> 13:48.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] To test this theory the team provided different sets of larvae with isotopically 13:48.600 --> 13:53.466 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% labeled amino acids and bacteria. 13:53.466 --> 13:57.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% If the larvae ate either, follow up lab tests will be able to pick up on those traceable 13:57.700 --> 14:00.233 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% isotopes. 14:00.233 --> 14:05.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] So doing those lab experiments, it's not a perfect indicator of what's happening 14:05.800 --> 14:13.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% in the wild, but it can give us the first step in trying to figure this out. 14:13.200 --> 14:20.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] The researchers also want to find out if larvae are able to settle on the seafloor 14:20.366 --> 14:25.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% this time of year to begin their adult life. 14:25.433 --> 14:30.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% To do so, they need to undergo an energetically costly metamorphosis, which is similar to 14:30.800 --> 14:34.733 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% how a caterpillar transforms into a butterfly. 14:34.733 --> 14:39.200 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% [Kirstin] They completely change their body plan. 14:39.200 --> 14:44.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They look like a pile of goo for a second and then they look like the adult. 14:44.566 --> 14:48.733 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Narrator] Some larvae use chemical cues to find a good place to settle, often near adults 14:48.733 --> 14:51.400 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% of the same species. 14:51.400 --> 14:55.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] So for the settlement experiment, we're offering them kelp as a cue that we 14:55.433 --> 14:59.233 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% have pulled from the dock. 14:59.233 --> 15:01.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The organisms that we're working with, we found them either attached to kelp or crawling 15:01.033 --> 15:03.966 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% on kelp as adults. 15:03.966 --> 15:09.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And so, we know that that would be a reasonable settlement location for them. 15:09.600 --> 15:14.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% We see a lot of competition as one of the main factors influencing mortality, especially 15:14.133 --> 15:16.733 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% during the early settlement period. 15:16.733 --> 15:22.133 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And so, by having your larvae survive through this harsh period of the polar night and settle 15:22.133 --> 15:27.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% before everybody else comes and spawns in the spring, maybe lets them grow big enough 15:27.133 --> 15:31.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% to give them a chance at outcompeting their neighbors when they get to the sea floor. 15:31.866 --> 15:41.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] Several of the organisms decided to settle as part of the experiment. 15:41.433 --> 15:45.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Studying settlement in the wild is much more challenging. 15:45.966 --> 15:50.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] Because we don't know what's happening when we're not there. 15:50.400 --> 15:55.500 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% [Narrator] To monitor a settlement surface in the fjord, Kirstin worked closely with 15:55.500 --> 16:01.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% the engineers at WHOI to invent a camera system that can record settlement in real time. 16:01.400 --> 16:05.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% [Kirstin] I call it CATAIN, which is an acronym. 16:05.133 --> 16:10.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It stands for camera to analyze invertebrates, but what it really photographs is settlers, 16:10.166 --> 16:13.566 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% and that's actually why it's called CATAIN. 16:13.566 --> 16:15.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Because when I asked my husband what should I name a camera system that photographs settlers, 16:15.833 --> 16:18.633 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% his answer was Catan. 16:18.633 --> 16:22.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, we wanted to come up with something that was similar to the name of that board game. 16:22.766 --> 16:27.966 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's a camera system that photographs its own end cap. 16:27.966 --> 16:32.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And you can see there's a macro lens and this little machine vision camera focused on the 16:32.900 --> 16:37.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% endcap and then, you know, all of the hardware and the batteries and everything. 16:37.400 --> 16:41.433 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% This is the brains of the camera. 16:41.433 --> 16:45.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We've got a raspberry pie computer and we have a sleepy pie, which allows you to put 16:45.400 --> 16:48.733 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% the computer to sleep. 16:48.733 --> 16:53.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Narrator] This will save battery power during months of deployment in near freezing waters. 16:53.966 --> 16:59.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] So the only thing pulling power constantly is the clock. 16:59.566 --> 17:02.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And when it reaches the time that it knows it's supposed to have a photo again, then 17:02.833 --> 17:05.866 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% it wakes itself up. 17:05.866 --> 17:11.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Under this electrical tape here, there's actually a string of LED lights. 17:11.233 --> 17:15.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The lights had to be on the outside so that it could flash through the end cap. 17:15.066 --> 17:17.200 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It kind of functions like a ring light. 17:17.200 --> 17:20.233 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% Our settlement surface is vertical. 17:20.233 --> 17:24.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, organisms are gonna settle on there and then the camera is facing out, and it's gonna 17:24.400 --> 17:28.600 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% photograph the organisms from underneath. 17:28.600 --> 17:32.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Using this, we are able to deploy the camera for long periods. 17:32.733 --> 17:38.733 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% I have it programmed to record an image every 24 hours. 17:38.733 --> 17:44.400 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% The reason that we wanna do every 24 hours is because there's a lot of things that settle 17:44.400 --> 17:51.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% down to the sea floor but then end up dying within that first really short period. 17:51.266 --> 17:57.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, most researchers actually study recruitment, which is so poorly defined. 17:57.133 --> 18:00.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% It's basically an operational definition. 18:00.333 --> 18:05.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Recruitment is surviving until the researcher comes back to count you. 18:05.600 --> 18:10.166 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Prior to us coming up with this camera system, it was really only possible to study settlement 18:10.166 --> 18:15.466 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% in environments where a researcher could be present every day because you would put out 18:15.466 --> 18:21.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% panels and pull them back up 24 hours later, you know, to see those first arrivals. 18:21.800 --> 18:25.666 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Whereas with this, we can actually get a photographic record of everybody who was there without 18:25.666 --> 18:28.900 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% having to stay up here, you know, all year. 18:28.900 --> 18:34.700 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% So, I'm actually really excited about deploying this. 18:34.700 --> 18:41.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] After years of planning and field trials back at home, the time has come to 18:41.366 --> 18:44.966 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% deploy CATAIN in Kongsfjorden. 18:44.966 --> 18:50.466 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] To get it all set up, we had to create a heavy box for it to actually sit on the 18:50.466 --> 18:54.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% sea floor and not be jostled around by waves or whisked away. 18:54.166 --> 19:00.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] We deployed this camera system at 15 meters deep, close to the old pier. 19:00.533 --> 19:06.400 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% [Kharis] For hard bottom organisms, the highest abundance and the highest diversity is generally 19:06.400 --> 19:09.366 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% around 15 meters in Kongsfjorden. 19:09.366 --> 19:14.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We marked a lot of GPS locations to make sure we know exactly where it is. 19:14.933 --> 19:19.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% We're gonna have to send divers down to attach a rope to it to bring it back up. 19:19.700 --> 19:24.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% When we finally got it to the sea floor, we were really excited because it's been a really 19:24.633 --> 19:26.866 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% long time coming. 19:26.866 --> 19:31.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] We're gonna get so much data that was never before possible to obtain. 19:31.133 --> 19:43.066 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% I am so excited about this camera system. 19:43.066 --> 19:55.833 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Narrator] While CATAIN will gather information about organisms that settle and live on hard 19:55.833 --> 20:02.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% bottom surfaces, the researchers also wanted to learn about species living in mud. 20:02.833 --> 20:09.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% To do so, they collected samples at five stations ranging between 5 to 30 meters in depth. 20:09.500 --> 20:13.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] So we've been sending a sediment grab to the sea floor off the back of the 20:13.033 --> 20:15.533 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% boat. 20:15.533 --> 20:19.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It scoops up the first couple centimeters of sediment, brings it back up to the boat 20:19.400 --> 20:22.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and then back in the lab we sieve through it at two different levels. 20:22.433 --> 20:28.200 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% One is 500 microns and one is 150 microns. 20:28.200 --> 20:32.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And then we're left with a sample that is some sediment, but mostly organisms. 20:32.600 --> 20:35.800 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% And we'll take that back to the lab at Woods Hole and sort through them under the microscope 20:35.800 --> 20:38.666 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% and identify the species. 20:38.666 --> 20:43.866 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% We're mostly looking for things like clams and snails. 20:43.866 --> 20:45.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Essentially we're trying to understand if the distribution of juveniles matches the 20:45.700 --> 20:49.600 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% distribution of adults. 20:49.600 --> 20:55.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] In Arctic fjords, ice scour from sea ice or icebergs calving off the glaciers 20:55.966 --> 20:58.366 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% can scrape up the sea floor. 20:58.366 --> 21:04.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% [Kirstin] It's like a meteor landing on earth. 21:04.300 --> 21:07.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% If you're a worm in your happy little tube in the mud and an iceberg comes by, you're 21:07.233 --> 21:10.000 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% not surviving that. 21:10.000 --> 21:14.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] Past research has shown that the diversity of adult invertebrates that live 21:14.866 --> 21:21.266 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% on the seafloor increases as it gets deeper and ice scour occurs less frequently. 21:21.266 --> 21:25.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] Kharis' question is at what point in the life history does that gradient get 21:25.866 --> 21:28.766 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% set up? 21:28.766 --> 21:36.566 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% The hypothesis is that the larvae settle uniformly in any environment where they can survive. 21:36.566 --> 21:40.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The temperature is right, the salinity is right, there's food for them, et cetera. 21:40.566 --> 21:45.100 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And then the gradient in the adults happens because you have those shallow ones get scraped 21:45.100 --> 21:49.333 align:left position:40% line:89% size:50% away. 21:49.333 --> 21:55.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And also the top layer, on top of all of that, is the climate change. 21:55.433 --> 22:01.500 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Going from a high sea ice cover in the fjord to now we've got open water pretty much allyearround, 22:01.500 --> 22:04.833 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% that's probably indicating less ice scour. 22:04.833 --> 22:07.333 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% But the glacier is also melting. 22:07.333 --> 22:11.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, then the icebergs calving off are more likely to impact the sea floor. 22:11.166 --> 22:13.400 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% And so which one of those is more important? 22:13.400 --> 22:19.500 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% Are we gonna see more ice effect, less ice effect? 22:19.500 --> 22:26.900 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% [Narrator] Longterm data collected in NyAlesund is crucial to understanding our changing climate. 22:26.900 --> 22:32.466 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% [Ingrid] For example, on glaciers there has been a study on the ice thickness. 22:32.466 --> 22:39.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% Between 1936 and 2010, the scientists saw that the thickness was reduced by 25 meters 22:39.200 --> 22:41.833 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% within that time span. 22:41.833 --> 22:48.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So that is a very drastic reduction in the coverage of the glaciers. 22:48.000 --> 22:53.533 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Jorgen] The last winter that really had sea ice here on the west coast of Svalbard, I 22:53.533 --> 23:00.300 align:left position:30% line:83% size:60% think it was the winter, 2004, 2005. 23:00.300 --> 23:05.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] These increased water temperatures are caused by a rise of greenhouse gases in 23:05.166 --> 23:10.933 align:left position:30% line:89% size:60% the atmosphere. 23:10.933 --> 23:17.133 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% The Norwegian Institute for Air Research, in partnership with NPI and others, has been 23:17.133 --> 23:23.666 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% continuously taking measurements at the Zeppelin Air Observatory on the mountain above NyAlesund. 23:23.666 --> 23:29.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Ove] We started the greenhouse gas measurements here in the eighties. 23:29.800 --> 23:32.700 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% First it was like CO2 and methane together with hydrocarbons. 23:32.700 --> 23:39.600 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And then later we got the CFCs and CFC replacement compounds. 23:39.600 --> 23:44.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% If you measure greenhouse gases down on the continent, you will see a lot of fluctuations 23:44.366 --> 23:47.566 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% because you have a lot of emissions very close by. 23:47.566 --> 23:51.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Up here, you don't have these big emissions so what you measure is the, what you call 23:51.966 --> 23:55.300 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% the atmospheric background. 23:55.300 --> 24:01.166 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% It's a good place to see how the atmosphere changes over time and how the greenhouse gas 24:01.166 --> 24:04.066 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% is built up in the atmosphere. 24:04.066 --> 24:09.800 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Narrator] The Zeppelin Air Observatory is part of a global network of stations that 24:09.800 --> 24:13.533 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% all take longterm measurements. 24:13.533 --> 24:21.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Ove] You need this big network of stations to get a really good global average to say 24:21.400 --> 24:24.233 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% when you look at the trends on how much it increases. 24:24.233 --> 24:32.366 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% The trends tell us that greenhouse gases like methane, CO2 it's not slowing down and it's 24:32.366 --> 24:39.200 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% increasing every year. 24:39.200 --> 24:47.966 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% [Narrator] Knowing these changes are occurring adds a level of urgency to the research conducted 24:47.966 --> 24:51.266 align:left position:20% line:89% size:70% during the polar night. 24:51.266 --> 24:54.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kharis] It's really important that we kind of play catch up and try to really get an 24:54.966 --> 24:59.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% understanding of the overall ecosystem, the simple basic biology of what's going on here 24:59.766 --> 25:03.300 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% so that we can better understand how it's changing. 25:03.300 --> 25:09.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Kirstin] If you understand the fundamental process and the mechanisms by which things 25:09.233 --> 25:15.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% happen, then you can make better predictions of how is this going to look in the future. 25:15.000 --> 25:21.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% [Jorgen] It's one of the few sort of wildernesses remaining on the planet. 25:21.866 --> 25:27.633 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% It's like a natural wonder to be able to see this region. 25:27.633 --> 25:35.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And I, I can only hope that my children and grandchildren will be able to experience some 25:35.333 --> 26:27.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% of what I have experienced, and in order for them to do that, we have to make sure that 26:27.866 --> 26:36.133 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% we take care of our planet.