This May 2024, a two-week sampling cruise unfolded in the fjords surrounding Nuuk, Greenland, marking another significant stride in the POMP project’s research endeavours. Ph.D. students Guillaume Blais from the University of Laval and Thomas Ager from Aarhus University teamed up with Thomas Juul-Pedersen from the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources for this mission.
The cruise aimed to collect seafloor samples to quantify benthic biodiversity. This initiative is part of a broader effort by the POMP project to understand how changes in sea ice cover and increased glacial melt are impacting coastal biodiversity in Greenland.
The team focused their efforts on re-sampling surveys initially conducted two to three decades ago in three distinctly different Greenlandic fjords: Disko Fjord, Young Sound, and Nuup Kangerlua. By comparing the past and present data, researchers hope to uncover the ecological shifts that have occurred over the years due to the changing climate.
The findings from this cruise are expected to provide key insights into the resilience and adaptability of benthic communities in the face of rapid environmental changes. This data is invaluable for the scientific community but also for taking part of datasets that POMP will prepare and that are expected to provide information for decision-makers who are grappling with the challenges of climate change and its impact on marine polar ecosystems.
As the POMP project continues to lead efforts in understanding polar ecosystems, the dedication of its researchers ensures that we move closer to effective solutions for preserving biodiversity in these critical areas.