https://ipt.gbif.no/resource?r=infauna_unis_abx21 Kristin Maria Elisabeth Wikström UNIS/Åbo akademi University Student

Turku Egentliga Finland FI

+358442118050 kristinwikstr@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-wikström-59205b168 Zofia Anna Maurer UNIS/UiB Student zosiamaurer0@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/zofia-maurer-b09b31384 Malin Bø Nevstad UNIS Student Lukas Sander UNIS Student Vilde Olsen Benjaminsen UNIS Student Lotta Bögel UNIS Student Sergi Gonzalez Fajardo UNIS Student Kaja Agnieszka Harton UNIS Student Hanna Märta Modin UNIS Student Erik Carl Filip Morin UNIS Student Kristina Scholz UNIS Student Tina Walder UNIS Student Professor Arunima Sen UNIS Teacher arunimas@unis.no https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7847-2137 Doctor Marc Silberberger IOPAN Teacher marcs@iopan.pl https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8819-4388 Professor Paul Renaud Akvaplan-niva Course leader per@akvaplan.niva.no https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3821-5974 Kristin Maria Elisabeth Wikström UNIS/Åbo Akademi kristinwikstr@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-wikström-59205b168 Zofia Anna Maurer UNIS/UiB zosiamaurer0@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/zofia-maurer-b09b31384 2025-09-19 eng Course research cruise undertaken for the masters and PhD course AB-x21 at UNIS Ausust 2025, onboard R/V Helmer Hanssen.  Infauna data from three Svalbard fjords: Kongsfjorden, Rijpfjorden and Raudfjorden. Data from one Van Veen grab per fjord. Grab samples processed through sieves (smallest mesh was 0.5 mm). The organsims were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible by the students under supervision.  Occurrence GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml Observation GBIF Dataset Subtype Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_subtype.xml EARTH SCIENCE> BIOSPHERE > ECOSYSTEMS > MARINE ECOSYSTEMS > BENTHIC GCMD:GCMD Keywords This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY 4.0) License. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html CC-BY-4.0 Three fjords in Svalbard; Kongsfjorden, Rijpfjorden and Raudfjorden. 10.7236 22.2039 80.3017 79.0436 2025-08-21 2025-08-25 phylum Priapulida phylum Mollusca phylum Arthropoda phylum Nemertea phylum Annelida phylum Echinodermata notPlanned Professor Arunima Sen UNIS Professor arunimas@unis.no https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7847-2137 Kristin Maria Elisabeth Wikström UNIS/Åbo Akademi University kristinwikstr@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-wikström-59205b168 Zofia Anna Maurer UNIS/UiB zosiamaurer0@gmail.com www.linkedin.com/in/zofia-maurer-b09b31384 The benthic infaunal samples were collected by RV Helmer Hanssen, operated by UIT University of Tromsø between 20th of August 2025 and 28th of August 2025. A Van Veen grab sampler, which is lowered to the seafloor was used. This is a commonly employed method to study soft-bottom communities (e.g. Cochrane et al., 2012, Willassen et al., 2022, Włodarska-Kowalczuk et al. 2019). The grab has a clamshell design that allows it to enclose a defined sediment area when lifted from the seabed. The model used during this survey had an effective sampling area of approximately 0.1 m2 sufficient to capture the sediment layer where most macrofaunal organisms reside. The first sampling station (Station 722) took place in Kongsfjorden. From there, the vessel continued further north to Rijpfjorden, where the second station (Station 747) was located close to shore of Nordaustlandet. The track then proceeded southwestward across the northern shelf, with the final sampling station (Station 761) situated in Raudfjorden, at the northwestern tip of Spitsbergen. (See table 1 and figure 1) At each station, two replicate grabs were taken. One grab was dedicated to infaunal processing, while the other was used exclusively for the collection of environmental parameters (chlorophyll a, phaeophytin, total organic carbon [TOC], and grain size). This separation ensured that biological samples were not disturbed or reduced by subsampling, and that environmental measurements were taken from undisturbed material. After each deployment, the grab was carefully retrieved. Samples were only accepted if the jaws had closed properly and if the sediment surface was intact and undisturbed. If the grab was incomplete (e.g., insufficient sediment volume, leakage, or partial closure), it was discarded and redeployed. Infauna processing The grab designated for infauna was retrieved and emptied onto a cascade table for washing. Sediment was gently flushed with seawater and passed sequentially through a 5 mm sieve and a 0.5 mm sieve. The 5 mm mesh retained larger debris such as stones and shells, while the 0.5 mm mesh retained the macrofaunal fraction of the sample. The material remaining on both sieves was transferred to sorting trays and examined immediately on board. Organisms were carefully picked out and identified to the lowest practicable taxonomic level using microscopes. Immediate processing helped to ensure a good quality of identification features and prevent loss of delicate taxa. Following identification and counting, specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol for long-term storage and further laboratory work. Sampling was done once per fjord in three fjords in Svalbard; Kongsfjorden, Rijpfjorden and Raudfjorden between 21.-25.8.2025. The benthic infaunal samples were collected by RV Helmer Hanssen, operated by UIT University of Tromsø between 20th of August 2025 and 28th of August 2025. A Van Veen grab sampler, which is lowered to the seafloor was used. This is a commonly employed method to study soft-bottom communities (e.g. Cochrane et al., 2012, Willassen et al., 2022, Włodarska-Kowalczuk et al. 2019). The grab has a clamshell design that allows it to enclose a defined sediment area when lifted from the seabed. The model used during this survey had an effective sampling area of approximately 0.1 m2 sufficient to capture the sediment layer where most macrofaunal organisms reside. The first sampling station (Station 722) took place in Kongsfjorden. From there, the vessel continued further north to Rijpfjorden, where the second station (Station 747) was located close to shore of Nordaustlandet. The track then proceeded southwestward across the northern shelf, with the final sampling station (Station 761) situated in Raudfjorden, at the northwestern tip of Spitsbergen. (See table 1 and figure 1) At each station, two replicate grabs were taken. One grab was dedicated to infaunal processing, while the other was used exclusively for the collection of environmental parameters (chlorophyll a, phaeophytin, total organic carbon [TOC], and grain size). This separation ensured that biological samples were not disturbed or reduced by subsampling, and that environmental measurements were taken from undisturbed material. After each deployment, the grab was carefully retrieved. Samples were only accepted if the jaws had closed properly and if the sediment surface was intact and undisturbed. If the grab was incomplete (e.g., insufficient sediment volume, leakage, or partial closure), it was discarded and redeployed. Infauna processing The grab designated for infauna was retrieved and emptied onto a cascade table for washing. Sediment was gently flushed with seawater and passed sequentially through a 5 mm sieve and a 0.5 mm sieve. The 5 mm mesh retained larger debris such as stones and shells, while the 0.5 mm mesh retained the macrofaunal fraction of the sample. The material remaining on both sieves was transferred to sorting trays and examined immediately on board. Organisms were carefully picked out and identified to the lowest practicable taxonomic level using microscopes. Immediate processing helped to ensure a good quality of identification features and prevent loss of delicate taxa. Following identification and counting, specimens were preserved in 70% ethanol for long-term storage and further laboratory work. Kristin Maria Elisabeth Wikström www.linkedin.com/in/kristin-wikström-59205b168 originator Zofia Anna Maurer www.linkedin.com/in/zofia-maurer-b09b31384 originator Malin Bø Nevstad originator Lukas Sander originator Professor Arunima Sen pointOfContact Dr Marc Silberberger originator Professor Paul Renaud originator Vilde Olsen Benjaminsen originator Sergi Gonzalez Fajardo originator Kaja Agnieszka Harton originator Hanna Märta Modin originator Erik Carl Filip Morin originator Kristina Scholz originator Tina Walder originator Lotta Bögel originator Course research cruise undertaken for the masters and PhD course AB-x21 at UNIS Ausust 2025, onboard R/V Helmer Hanssen. Infauna data from three Svalbard fjords: Kongsfjorden, Rijpfjorden and Raudfjorden. Data from one Van Veen grab per fjord. Grab samples processed through sieves (smallest mesh was 0.5 mm). The organsims were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible by the students under supervision. 2025-09-19T11:57:00.291+00:00 dataset Wikström K M E, Maurer Z A, Nevstad M B, Sander L, Olsen Benjaminsen V, Bögel L, Gonzalez Fajardo S, Harton K A, Modin H M, Morin E C F, Scholz K, Walder T, Sen A, Silberberger M, Renaud P (2025). Infauna UNIS AB-x21. Version 1.0. The University Centre in Svalbard. Occurrence dataset. https://ipt.gbif.no/resource?r=infauna_unis_abx21&v=1.0