The Greenland Ice sheet is melting at accelerating rate releasing freshwater into to the coastal sea around Greenland. The interaction between Ice Sheet and ocean is complex and is modified by local fjord conditions such as sill depth, tidal amplitude, sea ice conditions, bathymetry and coastal water characteristics. The ocean may be an important heat source that contributes to glacial melting. And melt water with its constituent of organic carbon, nutrients and inorganic particles influence stratification and nutrient and light availability and may thus be a key factor influencing coastal carbon cycling around Greenland. We have assembled a cross-disciplinary team with extensive experience from Greenland fjords and propose to 

• Identify near shore water mass characteristics and bathymetry to assess potential marine heat sources and circulation processes important for glacial melt 

• Identify impacts of glacial melt water on vertical mixing, light and nutrient conditions and subsequent rates of phytoplankton production. Focus on documenting if glacial fronts are areas of increased biological production

• Determine surface pCO2 values and carbonate system dynamics including pH and aragonite saturation states to confirm if glacial fjords are sites of high uptake of atmospheric CO2.

• Determine the importance of glacial induced primary production and glacial derived carbon for pelagic and benthic carbon cycling

 

PI: Mikael Sejr

Field site: Cruise in East Greenland