IMAGE | GOB

Impact of Mesoscale Activity on Greenland SEa Biogeochemistry

ABOUT

The Nordic Seas are a key gateway connecting the cold Arctic waters transported by the East Greenland Current with the warm Atlantic waters transported by the North Icelandic Irminger Current and several branches of the Norwegian Atlantic Current. As sea ice melts during the summer season, mesoscale and sub-mesoscale structures (e.g. meanders and eddies) develop along the shelf-break of the Greenland Sea from the Fram to the Denmark straits, potentially shaping the Biological Carbon Pump (BCP).

By conducting high-resolution observations of physical, chemical, and biological variables, IMAGE aims to depict the impact of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale processes on plankton communities and associated carbon fluxes in the Greenland Sea.

A multidisciplinary consortium of national and international researchers will join their knowledge and expertise to simultaneously determine the marine microbial community structure, diversity, functioning and metabolism, as well as net production and downward transport of dissolved and suspended organic matter - an unprecedented achievement in the study of mesoscale eddies in the Nordic Seas.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the interplay of mesoscale and sub-mesoscale processes with plankton communities and associated carbon fluxes along the shelf-break of the Greenland Sea from the Fram (80°N) to the Denmark (66°N) straits during the ice melting season.

GENERAL

Characterize physical dynamics - water mass distribution, mixing patterns, mesoscale variability, and quantify sub-mesoscale instabilities and their associated vertical fluxes.

Assess organic matter fluxes and transformations by characterizing pools of dissolved (DOM) and suspended (POM) organic matter, as well as their origin and transformations.

Asses air-sea exchange of biogenic (oxygen, carbon dioxide, methane, dinitrogen) and inert (argon) gases.

Characterize plankton variability and productivity, by assessing prokaryotic and phytoplankton community structure, as well as quantifying primary and heterotrophic production and respiration.

Estimate carbon fluxes through vertical diffusive fluxes and transport of inorganic nutrients, DOM and POM, and quantify the export of sinking POM and characterize the composition of marine snow.

SPECIFIC

FOLLOW THE STORIES CREATED ON BOARD

Between swirling with the eddies and feeling the Arctic breeze, our team narrates their journey through field oceanography, breaking ice and experiences on board the Spanish RV Odón de Buen.