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SITE NAME
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Zackenberg, Greenland, Denmark
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| +45 46301939(dir.)/+45 46301200(switchb.)/+45 46301914(fax) // mel@dmu.dk // National Environmental Research Institute Department of Arctic Environment Frederiksborgvej 399 Postbox 358 DK-4000 Roskilde DENMARK
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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3.06
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2.09
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3
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| The summer was once again very favourable for the waders and other waterbirds at Zackenberg Research Station in High Arctic Greenland. The weather was excellent most of June and July, and there were no spells of seriously inclement weather. Snow cover was extensive in early June, but it was thin and disappeared earlier than we have experienced since we began our monitoring in 1996. The summer was warmer than recorded before during 55 years of records in northern Greenland.
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
16.06
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
30.05
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
mid June
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
low
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Breeding conditions:
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| Like in 2002, the early snowmelt and fine weather resulted in early egg laying with median 1st egg dates between 8 June in Ruddy Turnstone and 13 June in Sanderling. The very first broods were initiated as early as around 2 June (Dunlin and Ruddy Turnstone). In spite of intermediate numbers of lemmings last year and an absolute record low this year, Arctic foxes bred in at least three dens inside the valley, and nest predation was higher than we have recorded before (38-43 per cent of 47 nests found). This may be biased, however, since an intensive research programme involved repeated visits and intensive activities at most nests found, so that we may have increased predation. This will be analysed now. Counts of juvenile waders at the coast in August confirmed that 2003 was a productive season also regionally. Of the other waterbird species, we had 'normal' populations of divers, geese, ducks, gulls and terns, but the Long-tailed Skuas had a poor breeding season due to the very low number of lemmings.
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Rodent dynamics:
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| Only one lemming was seen.
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Rodent species recorded:
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| Latin | Abundance |
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| Dicrostonyx groenlandicus | rare |
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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