POMP researcher Henry Henson and colleagues recently published a new paper in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, examining the CO2 uptake potential of the Greenland coastal ocean.
Researchers found that both the East and West coast of Greenland act as important carbon sinks, especially during the summer when pCO2 levels are low due to high biological activity and freshwater inputs from melting glaciers.
Specifically, the geographical variation in pCO2 and air‐sea exchange is linked to freshwater export from the Greenland ice sheet and to varying levels of primary production in these ecosystems. Additionally, results also revealed that air‐sea exchange of CO2 ranged from 0.23 to 64 mmol m-2 day-1.
To assess this, the team used a combination of satellite data analysis and direct oceanic measurements, as well as advanced modelling techniques to simulate the interactions between different environmental variables.
This research points to the important role of Greenland’s coasts in global carbon sequestration. The data and knowledge obtained will aid in refining models of Arctic carbon processes, which will in turn provide more accurate predictions and lead to better-informed environmental policies.
Stay tuned to our website for further updates on events, milestones and other research initiatives from POMP.