Release of ballast material during sea-ice melt enhances carbon export in the Arctic Ocean.

ABSTRACT: Globally, the most intense uptake of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO₂) occurs in the Atlantic north of 50°N, and it has been predicted that atmospheric CO₂ sequestration in the Arctic Ocean will increase as a result of ice-melt and increased primary production. However, little is known about the impact of pan-Arctic sea-ice decline on carbon export processes. We investigated the potential ballasting effect of sea-ice derived material on settling aggregates and carbon export in the Fram Strait by combining 13 years of vertical flux measurements with benthic eDNA analysis, laboratory experiments, and tracked sea-ice distributions. We show that melting sea-ice in the Fram Strait releases cryogenic gypsum and terrigenous material, which ballasts sinking organic aggregate

SUBMITTER: Swoboda S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10978062 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature