Conceptual design and sampling procedures of the biological programme of NuukBasic

This manual describes procedures for biologic climate eff ectmonitoring in Kobbefjord, Nuuk. The monitoring is a part ofNuukBasic which is a cross-disciplinary ecological monitoringprogramme in low Arctic West Greenland. Biologicalmonitoring comprises the NERO line which is a permanentvegetation transect, and monitoring reproductive phenologyof Salix glauca, Loiseleuria procumbens, Eriophorumangustifolium, and Silene acaulis. The progression in vegetationgreenness is followed along the vegetation transectand in the plant phenology plots by measurement of NormalizedDiff erence Vegetation Index (NDVI). The fl ux of CO2is measured in natural conditions as well as in manipulationssimulating increased temperature, increased cloud cover,shorter growing season, and longer growing season. The effectof increased UV-B radiation on plant stress is studied bymeasuring chlorophyll fl uorescence in three series of plots.Arthropods are sampled by means of yellow pitfall traps aswell as in window traps. Microarthropods are sampled in soilcores and extracted in an extractor by gradually heatingup soil. The avifauna is monitored with special emphasison passerine birds. Only few terrestrial mammals occur inthe study area. All observations of mammals are recordedad-hoc. Monitoring in lakes include ice cover, water chemistry,physical conditions, species composition of plankton,vegetation, bottom organisms and fi sh. Physical-chemicalparameters, phytoplankton and zooplankton