Helgoland Roads

The Biologische Anstalt Helgoland has a long tradition in the generation, archival and analysis of marine, ecological time series. The first temperature and salinity time series were started in 1873. The earliest macroalgal data were also collected in the 19th century.

In 1962 one of the most important time series, the so-called Helgoland Roads time series on plankton was initiated. In the context of that monitoring programme, phytoplankton data are quantitatively analysed every working day. Therefore this time series represents one of the temporally most highly resolved time series in Europe. Since 1974 additional data on zooplankton have also been collected and are now being analysed thrice weekly. In addition to these core time series, bacterial counts have also been carried for over 40 years, although this time series has now been discontinued.

Helgoland Roads Phytoplankton (link to webpage)

The Biological Station Helgoland holds one of the largest and longest marine plankton time series in Europe, named 'Helgoland Roads' after the sampling location. This time series has been running continuously, with samples taken on a work-daily basis since 1962. As far as possible species counts are carried out at species level. This has allowed us to show  long-term changes in abundance and seasonality of different organisms, but also to reliably demonstrate the appearance of species entirely new in the Helgoland Roads phytoplankton community. More complex analyses have also shown long-term shifts in diversity and delays in the start of the spring bloom after warm autumn/winter seasons. The latter was shown using a simple index: The mean diatom day.

Helgoand Roads Zooplankton (link to webpage)

The Helgoland Roads time series was started in 1975 by Wulf Greve, initially at the Biologische Anstalt Helgoland institute and later continued in cooperation with the German Centre for Marine Biodiversity and the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency. It is now managed by the Biological Station Helgoland again.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday two oblique plankton net samples (150 μm, 500 μm) are collected from the monitoring site (54° 11' 18" N, 7° 54' E). From each sample, almost 400 taxonomic entities of holoplankton and meroplankton (e.g., benthic and fish larvae) are identified and counted for abundance. 

The purpose of the Helgoland Roads programme is to monitor and document high frequency plankton population dynamics to detect and investigate community dynamics at seasonal and longer time scales and to better understand long-term changes in biodiversity.

Nutrients

Nutrients (posphate, nitrate, nitrite, ammonium) have been measured since 1962, silicate since 1967

Salinity 

Daily temperature and salinity data are available since 1962 plus some data beginning in 1873   

Helgoland Transects

In addition to the Helgoland Roads Core time series station we also operate monthly transect cruises in the German Bight. At each transect station salinity, temperature, nutrients and chlorophyll are measured. Phytoplankton data for some stations and years are also available. These provide important contextual information to compare with the Helgoland Roads station and facilitate an assessment of the Helgoland Roads data in a larger biogeographical context.