Coastal freshening drives acidification state in Greenland fjords
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Coastal freshening drives acidification state in Greenland fjords. / Henson, Henry C.; Holding, Johnna M.; Meire, Lorenz; Rysgaard, Søren; Stedmon, Colin A.; Stuart-Lee, Alice; Bendtsen, Jørgen; Sejr, Mikael.
In: Science of the Total Environment, Vol. 855, 158962, 2023.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Coastal freshening drives acidification state in Greenland fjords
AU - Henson, Henry C.
AU - Holding, Johnna M.
AU - Meire, Lorenz
AU - Rysgaard, Søren
AU - Stedmon, Colin A.
AU - Stuart-Lee, Alice
AU - Bendtsen, Jørgen
AU - Sejr, Mikael
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Authors
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Greenland's fjords and coastal waters are highly productive and sustain important fisheries. However, retreating glaciers and increasing meltwater are changing fjord circulation and biogeochemistry, which may threaten future productivity. The freshening of Greenland fjords caused by unprecedented melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet may alter carbonate chemistry in coastal waters, influencing CO2 uptake and causing biological consequences from acidification. However, few studies to date explore the current acidification state in Greenland coastal waters. Here we present the first-ever large-scale measurements of carbonate system parameters in 16 Greenlandic fjords and seek to identify the drivers of acidification state in these freshening ecosystems. Aragonite saturation state (Ω), a proxy for ocean acidification, was calculated from dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity from fjords along the east and west coast of Greenland spanning 68–75°N. Aragonite saturation was primarily >1 in the surface mixed layer. However, undersaturated—or corrosive––conditions (Ω < 1) were observed on both coasts (west: Ω = 0.28–3.11, east: Ω = 0.70–3.07), albeit at different depths. West Greenland fjords were largely corrosive at depth while undersaturation in East Greenland fjords was only observed in surface waters. This reflects a difference in the coastal boundary conditions and mechanisms driving acidification state. We suggest that advection of Sub Polar Mode Water and accumulation of DIC from organic matter decomposition drive corrosive conditions in the West, while freshwater alkalinity dilution drives acidification in the East. The presence of marine terminating glaciers also impacted local acidification states by influencing fjord circulation: upwelling driven by subglacial discharge brought corrosive bottom waters to shallower depths. Meanwhile, discharge from land terminating glaciers strengthened stratification and diluted alkalinity. Regardless of the drivers in each system, increasing freshwater discharge will likely lower carbonate saturation states and impact biotic and abiotic carbon uptake in the future.
AB - Greenland's fjords and coastal waters are highly productive and sustain important fisheries. However, retreating glaciers and increasing meltwater are changing fjord circulation and biogeochemistry, which may threaten future productivity. The freshening of Greenland fjords caused by unprecedented melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet may alter carbonate chemistry in coastal waters, influencing CO2 uptake and causing biological consequences from acidification. However, few studies to date explore the current acidification state in Greenland coastal waters. Here we present the first-ever large-scale measurements of carbonate system parameters in 16 Greenlandic fjords and seek to identify the drivers of acidification state in these freshening ecosystems. Aragonite saturation state (Ω), a proxy for ocean acidification, was calculated from dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity from fjords along the east and west coast of Greenland spanning 68–75°N. Aragonite saturation was primarily >1 in the surface mixed layer. However, undersaturated—or corrosive––conditions (Ω < 1) were observed on both coasts (west: Ω = 0.28–3.11, east: Ω = 0.70–3.07), albeit at different depths. West Greenland fjords were largely corrosive at depth while undersaturation in East Greenland fjords was only observed in surface waters. This reflects a difference in the coastal boundary conditions and mechanisms driving acidification state. We suggest that advection of Sub Polar Mode Water and accumulation of DIC from organic matter decomposition drive corrosive conditions in the West, while freshwater alkalinity dilution drives acidification in the East. The presence of marine terminating glaciers also impacted local acidification states by influencing fjord circulation: upwelling driven by subglacial discharge brought corrosive bottom waters to shallower depths. Meanwhile, discharge from land terminating glaciers strengthened stratification and diluted alkalinity. Regardless of the drivers in each system, increasing freshwater discharge will likely lower carbonate saturation states and impact biotic and abiotic carbon uptake in the future.
KW - Arctic
KW - Biological pump
KW - Carbon dioxide
KW - Carbonate saturation state
KW - Climate change
KW - CO
KW - Freshening
KW - Greenland fjord
KW - Ocean acidification
KW - Seawater chemistry
U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158962
DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.158962
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 36170921
AN - SCOPUS:85139229964
VL - 855
JO - Science of the Total Environment
JF - Science of the Total Environment
SN - 0048-9697
M1 - 158962
ER -
ID: 331787463