The role of sea ice in the Southern Ocean carbon sink using novel biogeochemical sensors
Lead Research Organisation:
University of East Anglia
Department Name: Environmental Sciences
Abstract
This PhD project has these objectives:
1. To quantify ocean CO2 uptake during the pre-conditioning and formation of Antarctic Bottom Water.
2. To determine seasonal and year-to-year variation in the CO2 sink and their drivers in seasonally ice covered waters.
The PhD student will investigate the interplay between sea ice dynamics and ocean CO2 uptake, while using biogeochemical sensor data and conventional chemical analyses. Specifically the PhD student will deploy biogeochemical floats and sample for carbonate chemistry at ~58-60 degrees S, 6 degrees W-9 degrees E in the Weddell Sea on the ice breaker R.V. Polarstern cruise PS117 (December 2018- February 2019), as part of PICCOLO. The PhD student will carry out carbonate chemistry analyses on the Polarstern and RaTS samples. The student will evaluate the measurements by sensors for pH, oxygen and chlorophyll fluorescence against new (PS117, PICCOLO, ORCHESTRA) and historic shipboard measurements (GLODAPv2, SOCAT), following approaches developed at by the PhD supervisors (Dall'Olmo et al., 2016), in SOCCOM, and elsewhere. Winter Water, a winter mixed layer remnant below the summer mixed layer, will further inform on wintertime processes. Geometric vector analysis will enable quantification of the processes affecting carbonate chemistry in PICCOLO and at RaTS (Legge et al., 2017).
The student will carry out research and training at UEA (38 months), PML (2 months) and at sea (2 months). Training in scientific, transferable and advanced research skills will include safe working practice, seagoing research, novel sensors, chemistry measurements and data analysis. Participation in a research cruise, subject to a successful medical and sea survival training, will strengthen personal skills. The student will present the scientific findings in research colloquia, at (inter-)national conferences, in peer-reviewed publications and a PhD thesis. The research training will address strategic UK skills gaps in numerical skills, computing, statistics, fieldwork and laboratory skills. The first-rate training and the cutting-edge research will equip the student for a career across a range of professions.
The student will have weekly meetings with the 'local' supervisor(s), as well as monthly (virtual) meetings with all supervisors. Three formal progress meetings per year will be at UEA and BAS.
Dr Dorothee Bakker (UEA) is a Co-I on PICCOLO and leads the international Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) synthesis activity. Dr Martin Johnson (UEA) is Director of the Marine Knowledge and Exchange Network (M-KEN). Dr Giorgio Dall'Olmo (PML) is the lead for biogeochemical floats in PICCOLO. Dr Hugh Venables (BAS) leads the RaTS sampling programme. Dr Bastien Queste (UEA) is an expert in biogeochemical glider data. Dr Mario Hoppema (AWI) is an expert on Weddell Sea carbonate chemistry, a member of the GLODAP reference group and is a project partner in PICCOLO. The supervisory team has expertise in the collection, interpretation, modelling and presentation of marine biogeochemical data in the Southern Ocean and elsewhere.
1. To quantify ocean CO2 uptake during the pre-conditioning and formation of Antarctic Bottom Water.
2. To determine seasonal and year-to-year variation in the CO2 sink and their drivers in seasonally ice covered waters.
The PhD student will investigate the interplay between sea ice dynamics and ocean CO2 uptake, while using biogeochemical sensor data and conventional chemical analyses. Specifically the PhD student will deploy biogeochemical floats and sample for carbonate chemistry at ~58-60 degrees S, 6 degrees W-9 degrees E in the Weddell Sea on the ice breaker R.V. Polarstern cruise PS117 (December 2018- February 2019), as part of PICCOLO. The PhD student will carry out carbonate chemistry analyses on the Polarstern and RaTS samples. The student will evaluate the measurements by sensors for pH, oxygen and chlorophyll fluorescence against new (PS117, PICCOLO, ORCHESTRA) and historic shipboard measurements (GLODAPv2, SOCAT), following approaches developed at by the PhD supervisors (Dall'Olmo et al., 2016), in SOCCOM, and elsewhere. Winter Water, a winter mixed layer remnant below the summer mixed layer, will further inform on wintertime processes. Geometric vector analysis will enable quantification of the processes affecting carbonate chemistry in PICCOLO and at RaTS (Legge et al., 2017).
The student will carry out research and training at UEA (38 months), PML (2 months) and at sea (2 months). Training in scientific, transferable and advanced research skills will include safe working practice, seagoing research, novel sensors, chemistry measurements and data analysis. Participation in a research cruise, subject to a successful medical and sea survival training, will strengthen personal skills. The student will present the scientific findings in research colloquia, at (inter-)national conferences, in peer-reviewed publications and a PhD thesis. The research training will address strategic UK skills gaps in numerical skills, computing, statistics, fieldwork and laboratory skills. The first-rate training and the cutting-edge research will equip the student for a career across a range of professions.
The student will have weekly meetings with the 'local' supervisor(s), as well as monthly (virtual) meetings with all supervisors. Three formal progress meetings per year will be at UEA and BAS.
Dr Dorothee Bakker (UEA) is a Co-I on PICCOLO and leads the international Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT) synthesis activity. Dr Martin Johnson (UEA) is Director of the Marine Knowledge and Exchange Network (M-KEN). Dr Giorgio Dall'Olmo (PML) is the lead for biogeochemical floats in PICCOLO. Dr Hugh Venables (BAS) leads the RaTS sampling programme. Dr Bastien Queste (UEA) is an expert in biogeochemical glider data. Dr Mario Hoppema (AWI) is an expert on Weddell Sea carbonate chemistry, a member of the GLODAP reference group and is a project partner in PICCOLO. The supervisory team has expertise in the collection, interpretation, modelling and presentation of marine biogeochemical data in the Southern Ocean and elsewhere.
Organisations
- University of East Anglia (Lead Research Organisation)
- Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Collaboration)
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory (Student Project Partner)
- Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research (Student Project Partner)
- British Antarctic Survey (Student Project Partner)
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NE/S007334/1 | 01/10/2019 | 30/09/2027 | |||
| 2086455 | Studentship | NE/S007334/1 | 01/09/2018 | 31/12/2022 | Elise Droste |
| Description | So far, this award has helped to investigate the effects of tides on the carbonate chemistry of coastal polynyas using a case study at a coastal polynya (area of open water in an otherwise sea ice-covered ocean) alongside an Antarctic ice shelf. It also explains the impact on the CO2 uptake of this particular coastal polynya and how ignoring tidal currents in sampling strategies in similar environments can lead to severe over- or underestimations in the air-sea CO2 flux of coastal polynyas, which are considered to generally have a disproportionate role in the air-sea CO2 exchange in sea ice covered regions. |
| Exploitation Route | Outcomes of this research make clear that tidal currents need to be taken into account when sampling in polar coastal regions for biogeochemical studies. It exposes possible biases in results if tidal influences on the water column properties are not considered. The outcomes of this research also suggest that a certain amount of variability in polar coastal regions may be explained by the timing of sampling and the tidal currents, depending on the location and strength of the currents. |
| Sectors | Environment |
| Description | Talk at Parliament for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Polar Regions on MOSAiC research in the Arctic |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Description | Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate (MOSAiC) |
| Organisation | Alfred-Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research |
| Country | Germany |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | We contributed to the MOSAiC project and consortium by providing laboratory analyses of seawater samples and participation in field work, and sharing scientific expertise. Elise Droste participated on Leg 5 of the MOSAiC expedition in the Central Arctic Ocean and formed part of a team that collected seawater and sea ice samples for a range of ecological, biogeochemical, and physical variables for other international projects associated to MOSAiC, as well as for the MOSAiC Arctic time series itself, in addition to samples for the study of carbonate chemistry in sea ice and seawater that form a part of Elise's own project. Elise has contributed to the organisation of laboratory analyses, field work, data processing, and post-field work meta data organisation. Data processed by Elise is shared with the MOSAiC consortium and continued contributions include data processing, analyses, scientific publications, and participation/engagement in scientific discussions. |
| Collaborator Contribution | This collaboration has enabled Elise to participate in an expedition at sea to obtain seawater samples for carbonate chemistry for her own project on the Arctic Ocean, as well as access to complementary data collected during the MOSAiC expedition. The financial contribution has led to the purchase of sampling equipment that have been utilised on the expedition, and the laboratory analyses of samples collected on board. |
| Impact | Scientific outputs are still in progress. This collaboration has led to a range of media attention (see the other sections of the output form). The essence of the collaboration is multi-disciplinary (MOSAiC stands for the Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate). While our main scientific contribution is from the field of marine carbonate chemistry, our collaboration included collecting samples and measurements of sea ice and seawater for ecological, biogeochemical, and physical variables. |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Interviews for local and regional news |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | A press release was placed through the University of East Anglia on a piece I wrote for their science communications team on my research on CO2 uptake by the Arctic Ocean. This led to a range of media requests for interviews. These included an interview for BBC Radio Norfolk on 08/06/2021 and BBC Look East on 08/06/2020. The Eastern Daily press published an article on another interview on 07/06/2021. The purpose was to inform the public and create awareness about the CO2 uptake by the Arctic Ocean within the framework of climate change, and to share my experiences in doing field work in this extreme environment, which might inspire young scientists. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |