Glacier retreat alters downstream fjord ecosystem structure and function in Greenland

Meire, Lorenz; Paulsen, Maria Lund; Meire, Patrick; Rysgaard, Søren; Hopwood, Mark J.; Sejr, Mikael K.; Stuart-Lee, Alice; Sabbe, Koen; Stock, Willem; Mortensen, John

doi:10.1038/s41561-023-01218-y

Cited by 12 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Our observation of low surface water pCO 2 in coastal Greenland waters affirm the previous conclusions of Sejr et al (2011Sejr et al ( , 2014, Meire et al (2015Meire et al ( , 2023, and Rysgaard et al ( 2012) that these waters are large CO 2 sinks. We measured ∆pCO2 values ranging from -295 to 5 µatm with an average of -127 µatm.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Therefore, freshwater-driven circulation dynamics play a pivotal role in dictating the location and intensity of biological DIC consumption, thereby impacting the magnitude of air-sea exchange. Indeed, a recent study found that neighboring fjords with different glacial termini showed double the carbon uptake near MTGs compared to near LTGs (Meire et al, 2023). This relationship is evident in West Greenland, where the spatial distribution of AOU closely corresponds to the distribution of surface layer pCO 2 values (Fig.…”

Section: Glacial Meltwater Lowers Pco 2 Levels Along the Coasts Of Gr...mentioning

confidence: 71%

“…As temperatures increase, surface water warming could limit gas dissolution and decrease ∆pCO 2 between the ocean and the atmosphere. Additionally, the transition from MTGs to LTGs due to glacial retreat may lead to a reduction in primary production, limiting air-sea CO 2 exchange (Meire et al, 2023).…”

Section: Glacial Meltwater Lowers Pco 2 Levels Along the Coasts Of Gr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Assuming North and South Greenland coasts have 63.5% and 25.4% yearly-averaged ice cover respectively, we obtain the total Greenland coastal uptake rates of -9.5 ± 9.0 Tg C year -1 . We recognize this annual estimate makes many assumptions, especially as previous studies indicate large seasonality in carbon dynamics and air-sea exchange in Greenland fjords (Meire et al, 2023(Meire et al, , 2015Rysgaard et al, 2012). However, for the sake of comparison and context we present this first order estimate.…”

Section: Air-sea Exchange and Sources Of Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resolving heterogeneity in CO2 uptake potential in the Greenland coastal ocean

Henson,

Sejr,

Meire

et al. 2024

Preprint

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The oceans play a pivotal role in mitigating climate change by sequestering approximately 25% of annually emitted anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2). High-latitude oceans, especially the Arctic continental shelves, emerge as crucial CO2 sinks due to their cold, low saline, and highly productive ecosystems. However, these heterogeneous regions remain inadequately understood, hindering accurate assessments of their carbon dynamics. This study investigates variation in pCO2 levels during peak ice sheet melt, in the Greenland coastal ocean and estimates rates of air-sea exchange across 6° of latitude. The East and West coast of Greenland displayed distinct regions with unique controlling factors. Though, both coasts represent CO2 sinks in summer. Geographical variation in pCO2 and air-sea exchange was linked intricately to freshwater export from the Greenland ice sheet and levels of primary production in these ecosystems. CO2 uptake ranged from 0.17 to -38 mmol m-2 day-1. However, we found that flux estimation faces substantial uncertainties (up to 770%) due to wind product averaging and gas exchange formula selection. Despite these considerations, we report a first order estimate that Greenland coastal ocean takes up -9.5 ± 9.0 Tg C year-1, corresponding to nearly 4% of global coastal CO2 uptake. Obtaining a reliable assessment of air-sea CO2 exchange necessitates data collection across seasons, and, even more so, refinement of the gas transfer velocity estimations in the Arctic coastal zone.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Glacial Meltwater Lowers Pco 2 Levels Along the Coasts Of Gr...mentioning

confidence: 71%

Section: Glacial Meltwater Lowers Pco 2 Levels Along the Coasts Of Gr...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Air-sea Exchange and Sources Of Uncertaintymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resolving heterogeneity in CO2 uptake potential in the Greenland coastal ocean

Henson,

Sejr,

Meire

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…This influx of OC has the potential to release additional CO 2 into the atmosphere, thereby influencing the dynamics of the active carbon cycle 25 . Furthermore, the increased influxes of land-derived OC could alter ecosystem structure and function in Svalbard fjords, as demonstrated in Greenland fjords 64 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Large contributions of petrogenic and aged soil-derived organic carbon to Arctic fjord sediments in Svalbard

Kim,

Ahn

et al. 2023

Sci Rep

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Svalbard fjords are recognized as hotspots for organic carbon (OC) burial and storage due to their high sedimentation rates, which effectively trap terrestrial sediments and inhibit extensive OC remineralization. In this study, we investigated surface sediments (n = 48) from eight Svalbard fjords, along with bedrock (n = 17), soil (n = 28), and plant (n = 12) samples, to identify the sources of sedimentary OC in these fjords using geochemical parameters. All examined surface sediments from the fjords showed a depletion in 14Corg (− 666.9 ± 240.3‰), indicating that recently fixed terrestrial and marine biomass alone cannot account for the entire sedimentary OC pool. Conventional bulk indicators such as Norg/TOC ratio and δ13Corg were insufficient for fully determining the sources of sedimentary OC. Therefore, we employed a four-end-member approach, using Δ14Corg, δ13Corg, and lignin phenols to assess the relative contributions of petrogenic, soil-derived, plant-derived, and marine OC to the sedimentary OC pool. The analyzed fjord sediments consisted, on average, of 59.0 ± 28.1% petrogenic OC, 16.8 ± 12.1% soil-derived OC, 2.5 ± 2.2% plant-derived OC, and 21.8 ± 18.5% marine OC. This approach highlights the substantial contributions of petrogenic and aged soil-derived OC to present-day sedimentary OC in Svalbard fjords. Considering predicted global warming, accelerated inputs of petrogenic and soil-derived OC into fjords due to rapid glacier retreat may significantly impact the active carbon cycle and potentially contribute to CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, depending on burial efficiency.

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Productivity of Spitsbergen fjords ecosystems in summer—Spatial changes of in situ primary production in Kongsfjorden and Hornsund in the period 1994–2019

Dragańska‐Deja,

Stoń‐Egiert,

Wiktor

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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This comprehensive study examines primary production (PP) within the Spitsbergen fjords, Hornsund, and Kongsfjord, over a 25‐year period (1994–2019), across 45 stations and 348 incubation levels at various depths. PP and hydrological parameters were measured at 28 sampling stations in Kongsfjorden and 17 in Hornsund, with the locations of “Glacier,” “Inner,” and “Outer” zones defined to reflect the varying influence of glacial meltwater. Our study revealed spatial and temporal variability in PP, both at the surface and within the water column with very high depth resolution. The highest PP values were observed in the Glacier and Inner zones of Hornsund, particularly in the water layer up to 3 m depth, exceeding 20 mgC m−3 h−1. A notable decline in PP with increasing depth was observed in both fjords, with the Glacier zones displaying the highest productivity at the surface. The study also highlights the influence of glacial meltwater on surface water conditions, affecting the PP in the upper layers of both fjords. The observed gradient in the depth of maximum PP toward the mouth of the fjord varied between the two fjords, with Kongsjord displaying more dynamic variations. The spatial distribution of integrated primary production (Pi) suggested lower productivity in the glacial regions, likely due to light limitation caused by high concentrations of mineral particulate matter. The values of Pi were considerably higher in Hornsund, approximately twice as high overall, with specific emphasis on the Glacier and Inner zones where Pi values were about 6.5 and 2.5 times higher, respectively, when compared to those observed in Kongsfjord.

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Glacier retreat alters downstream fjord ecosystem structure and function in Greenland

Cited by 12 publications

References 31 publications

Resolving heterogeneity in CO2 uptake potential in the Greenland coastal ocean

Resolving heterogeneity in CO2 uptake potential in the Greenland coastal ocean

Large contributions of petrogenic and aged soil-derived organic carbon to Arctic fjord sediments in Svalbard

Productivity of Spitsbergen fjords ecosystems in summer—Spatial changes of in situ primary production in Kongsfjorden and Hornsund in the period 1994–2019

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