REvealing MArine Particle dynamics in West Greenland
What is the motivation?
The accelerated melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet releases large amounts of sediment and meltwater that transform Arctic seas. Yet their impacts on marine life and carbon storage remain unclear. This project investigates how glacial particles influence carbon and nutrient cycling to help predict the future of polar ecosystems in a warming world.
Why does it matter?
Greenland’s rapid melt affects glacier retreat and, in turn, local fisheries that hold significant economic value. It also plays a major role in global climate regulation. Glacial particles influence key climate-related processes, including marine productivity and carbon uptake, by controlling the availability of light and nutrients essential to marine life. Understanding these dynamics provides crucial insights not only for Greenland but also for anticipating the Earth’s response to climate change.
Project Focus
This project examines how sediments and marine organisms transport carbon from the ocean surface to the deep sea along Greenland’s fjords and continental shelf. As glaciers melt, shifting flows of sediment and nutrients can both support and disrupt marine ecosystems. The research focuses on how solid particles form, move and sink through the water column—a process known as the marine biological carbon pump—which helps trap carbon in the deep ocean.
How will it be done?
Chemical, optical and genetic techniques will be used to determine what solid particles in the ocean are made of, where they originate, how efficiently they sink and how much carbon they transport to the seafloor. Natural radioisotopes will measure how particles travel from the surface to depth, revealing the strength of the biological carbon pump. Underwater cameras will record particle size, shape and abundance, while genetic tools will identify how microbes contribute to particle breakdown.
© Maxi Castrillejo Iridoy
What will be collected?
Particles, seawater and sediments will be sampled at multiple depths between Greenland’s fjords and the continental shelf. Large pumps and underwater imaging systems will capture, filter and visualize particles of different sizes to better understand how they move, interact and influence ocean processes.
© Maxi Castrillejo Iridoy
Members and partners
- Principal Investigator:
- Maxi Castrillejo (PI) – Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Stephanie Kienast (Co-PI) – Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
- Other participants:
- Samuel Jaccard – Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Viena Puigcorbé – Department of Marine Biology and Oceanography, Institut de Ciències del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
- Laurent Oziel – Centre National de Recherches Météorologiques, Université de Toulouse, Toulouse, France