Meltwater driven sediment delivery into a glacier-fed fjord, Greenland (MELT)

Project Description

We endeavor to investigate the impact of the increase in glacial meltwater discharge from the Greenland Ice Sheet upon the glaciated fjord estuaries in southern Greenland where Greenland’s largest turbid meltwater plume persists each summer. Our research will aid in the development of long-term polar and sub-polar Arctic water quality monitoring approaches to observe the changes in coastal ecosystem productivity and geohazard frequency such as turbidity currents. Current satellite data is limited in its capacity to detect the complexity of suspended sediment glacial meltwater conditions across varying fjords impacted by varying stages of deglaciation. Greenland’s coastline bears nutrient-rich sediment-laden streams that discharge freshwater into the sea. This discharge influences coastal primary productivity, leading to algal blooms and carbon sequestration. The current understanding and monitoring of the delivery of the nutrients via meltwater to fjord ecosystems is limited by a lack of field studies connecting the ground biogeochemical processes to satellite data. This project will address this gap in knowledge through the use of specialized acoustic and optical field sampling methods. We intend to advance the understanding of how Greenland’s acceleration of deglaciation controls the water quality of the coastal marine ecosystem. Next July, I will collaborate in the investigation of the sediment export flux at the land-sea interface of an advancing deglaciated landscape onboard the vessel of opportunity, US flagged vessel, the RV Marie Tharp. This funding would allow UHull's Steve Simmons to participate in two weeks fieldwork in June 2022, providing expertise in setting up survey equipment, running the surveys and interpreting water column backscatter data in real time to enable quick decision making in relation to his interpretation of the sediment suspensions within the fjords. Funds would also enable shipping and deployment costs and the purchase of an underwater hydrophone