Phytoplankton are microscopic plants that play a central role in Arctic marine ecosystems. These tiny organisms capture large amounts of carbon and directly sustain marine food webs. Their growth depends not only on light and dissolved carbon but also on the supply of freshwater and nutrients – factors strongly influenced by glacier melt and shifting water masses in Greenland’s fjords and Baffin Bay.
Within the Phytoplankton research cluster, scientists investigate how these environmental changes affect phytoplankton communities and their productivity. By measuring nutrients, vitamins and certain trace metals in their surroundings, they identify what limits phytoplankton growth and how increasing freshwater inputs from melting glaciers modify the availability of these essential elements.
Different techniques are used depending on the objectives. To understand how phytoplankton respond when nutrient levels vary, researchers conduct bioassays and incubations. To analyse how they adjust to other changing conditions, they apply proteomic approaches – the study of the proteins produced by these microalgae. Combined with satellite observations, these methods help reveal how organic matter is produced at the ocean surface and transported to deeper layers.
As Arctic seas warm, understanding these processes is essential. This research will help predict how primary productivity and food webs may evolve, and how the region contributes to global carbon cycling.
Outcomes:
- Identifying what controls phytoplankton growth: determining how nutrients, vitamins, trace metals and freshwater influence productivity across fjords and open waters.
- Revealing how communities adapt to change: showing how different phytoplankton groups respond to shifting light, temperature and meltwater conditions.
- Understanding how carbon moves through the ecosystem: clarifying how organic matter is produced at the surface and transported to deeper waters, shaping the Arctic’s role in global carbon cycling.