About this Research Topic
CARBON BRIDGE TO THE ARCTIC research topic addresses how the main driver of climate change in Nansen Basin, the Atlantic inflow, impacts productivity and carbon cycling in an area where future projections identify potential substantial changes in productivity due to sea ice retreat. Manuscripts of original research, review topics or modelling on the properties and dynamics of the inflow of Atlantic water (AW) along the shelf break region and Arctic Ocean (AO) north of Svalbard are welcome. We envision a series of analyses on the Arctic marine ecosystems obtained through a multidisciplinary Earth System Science (ESS) approach including the hydrosphere, cryosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, geosphere and antroposphere. More specifically, studies on how the hydrosphere (AW inflow, water column stability and vertical structure) and the cryosphere (influencing stratification, light) act as drivers for the biosphere through changes in productivity and flow of energy through the so-called classical and microbial foodwebs, and consequences for vertical carbon export. Longterm productivity can also be addressed through sediment cores, which are past accumulations in the geosphere. The fate of primary production is key to understanding the role of the warming AO as CO2 sink with links to carbon export, alkalinity and ocean-atmosphere exchange. Integration of historical and new data can be used for improved future projections of productivity to identify high- or low productive regions, and evaluate the ecosystem services and the value of the region for the antroposphere. Publication within this research topic will be highly relevant for management and risk assessment necessary for future activities in the region, based on an increased understanding of physical-biological coupled processes, built around long term observational data and physical-biological coupled modelling, to better evaluate the present state, and future perspectives of ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling in this critical region of the Arctic Ocean.
Keywords: Atlantic Water Inflow, primary production, nutrients, climate change, carbon cycling, food webs
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