Coastal waters represent the near-shore Arctic Ocean areas, that are supplied with the organic matter and carbon discharge from coastal and riverine permafrost areas.
Objectives
The aim of WP4 is to assess the fate of organic matter released into coastal waters by permafrost thaw in the past and the future. Increasing amounts of terrestrial organic matter (OMt; both particulate and dissolved) will be supplied to the Arctic Ocean because of accelerating permafrost thaw, increased plant growth in catchments, and increasing freshwater discharge. The fate of OMt in the Arctic Ocean (burial, bacterial consumption, photodegradation, export to Atlantic and Pacific Oceans) is poorly quantified. In cooperation with WPs 1-2, WP4 will determine the amount and quality of riverine OMt supplied to the Arctic Ocean and its fate using in situ measurements, remote sensing, and numerical modelling. In situ measurements will allow characterizing OMt in the coastal Arctic Ocean and documenting its reactivity, as well as developing optical remote sensing algorithms. Remote sensing will then be used to document spatial and temporal trends in OMt that can be scaled up for large scale analyses. Finally, the WP will combine remote sensing data with coupled physical- biogeochemical models (in cooperation with WP8) to quantify OMt transformation and transport in the Arctic Ocean.
The specific objectives of this work package are:
- O4.1: Document trends in export of coastal and riverine Dissolved (DOMt, DOCt) and Particulate (POMt, POCt) Organic Matter and Carbon into the Arctic Ocean.
- O4.2: Determine their fate and related processes (transport, chemical and biological transformation) in coastal waters.
- O4.3: Assess the impact of the findings from O1 and O2 on the global CO2 flux.
WP Coordination
Dr. Marcel Babin, Canada Excellence Research Chair in Remote Sensing of Canada's New Arctic Frontier and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, France
Description of deliverables
D4.1 Survey on trends in DOC and POC fluxes over the period 1998-present (CNRS, UPMC, GFZ) – Month 12
D4.2 Report on quantification of recent modifications in OM processes in the Arctic Ocean (CNRS, DTU,) – Month 54
D4.3 Assessment of the impact of modifications in organic carbon processes on the global CO2 flux. (CNRS) – Month 71
