Ecological effects of glacial dust deposition on remote Arctic lakes
Lead Research Organisation:
Loughborough University
Department Name: Geography and Environment
Abstract
The Arctic is changing rapidly as a result of climate warming and other global environmental change processes. One of the most obvious effects of altered Arctic heat budgets is the thinning of the Greenland ice sheet and the retreat of outlet glaciers. However, the increased fluvio-glacial output from glaciers is also laden with silt and there is growing evidence that such output from the Greenland ice sheet is increasing with enhanced seasonal melting. Some of this glacially-derived material is lost to the marine system but a significant part is deposited on glacial outwash plains from where the finer particles are deflated and transported to nearby terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Importantly this silt and the deflated dust is not inert. Because of its high nutrient content (carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen, silica and micronutrients), this silt/dust may be ecologically important because of the low nutrient status of adjacent aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. There is now considerable evidence that dust stimulates microbiological activity on glacial ice and in cryoconite holes (meltwater holes caused by particle deposition which increases heat uptake) on the ice surface. However, there are no comparable studies on how glacially-derived dust influences lakes within terrestrial areas adjacent to the ice margin, despite the knowledge that lakes are hotspots of carbon processing.
The vast majority of lakes adjacent to the Greenland ice sheet are not hydrologically connected to it by meltwater channels, and so aerially-delivered dust might be an important or even predominant lake nutrient source. Fertilization of lakes by nutrients associated with dust stimulates primary production and hence carbon dynamics. Dust inputs to lakes at lower latitudes is known to have major impacts on lake biogeochemical cycling. There has, however, been limited consideration of these processes in the Arctic where lakes are important for regional carbon cycling although they are not well integrated into regional and global carbon budgets. Arctic lakes are numerous (their abundance is highest between 65-75 degrees N) and generally very nutrient poor and if dust increases lake productivity as an indirect effect of changing climate, this will be a positive result. This is due to the disproportional effect on increased carbon burial which removes carbon from the terrestrial carbon cycle and hence can offset warming. Conversely, increasing organic matter input to aquatic ecosystems may enhance microbial decomposition in lakes and stimulate lake CO2 emissions. In this study we will compare the ecological effects of glacially-derived dust on lakes along a gradient of dust deposition rates in SW Greenland and assess its role in regional carbon and aquatic community dynamics at a range of temporal (annual to centennial) and spatial scales (lake to regional landscape).
The vast majority of lakes adjacent to the Greenland ice sheet are not hydrologically connected to it by meltwater channels, and so aerially-delivered dust might be an important or even predominant lake nutrient source. Fertilization of lakes by nutrients associated with dust stimulates primary production and hence carbon dynamics. Dust inputs to lakes at lower latitudes is known to have major impacts on lake biogeochemical cycling. There has, however, been limited consideration of these processes in the Arctic where lakes are important for regional carbon cycling although they are not well integrated into regional and global carbon budgets. Arctic lakes are numerous (their abundance is highest between 65-75 degrees N) and generally very nutrient poor and if dust increases lake productivity as an indirect effect of changing climate, this will be a positive result. This is due to the disproportional effect on increased carbon burial which removes carbon from the terrestrial carbon cycle and hence can offset warming. Conversely, increasing organic matter input to aquatic ecosystems may enhance microbial decomposition in lakes and stimulate lake CO2 emissions. In this study we will compare the ecological effects of glacially-derived dust on lakes along a gradient of dust deposition rates in SW Greenland and assess its role in regional carbon and aquatic community dynamics at a range of temporal (annual to centennial) and spatial scales (lake to regional landscape).
Planned Impact
The primary beneficiaries of this research are detailed below, together with details of how they will benefit:
Local residents in Kangerlussuaq. There are around 550 permanent residents of Kangerlussuaq with an intense interest in and respect for the natural environment. There are around 70 local school children (6-16 years old), who have expressed an interest in the educational opportunities we could offer through this (and previous) work. Specifically, our conversations with local residents revealed a desire to raise aspirations of children in Kangerlussuaq through greater engagement with the scientists who work there. The first aim of the impact plan will therefore be to engage in educational exchange with local residents and schoolchildren with reciprocal benefits for the investigators on this project.
Health workers and agencies: This study will provide baseline data which could be used to ascertain whether glacially-derived dust might be a human health risk for Arctic communities in paraglacial regions. Such work is likely to be directly important to the Ministry of Health, the Government of Greenland but also has relevance for health workers and researchers in other regions. Dust-related health effects including respiratory and lung conditions have been observed elsewhere, but to date there is no published work investigating such linkages in Greenland. Discussions with one local resident revealed complaints that dust appeared to be finer recently and was causing lung problems, which had not been previously experienced. The local council in Kangerlussuaq are encouraging the sowing of grass seeds in an attempt to trap dust, indicating that it is an issue of growing concern. Therefore the second focus of this impact plan will be to gather and disseminate pilot data on the potential links between health and air quality in this region to identify possible areas for further research and to assist with local healthcare planning.
Ecotourism companies, tourist agencies and tourists: The national tourist board Visit Greenland http://www.greenland.com/en/ strongly focuses on ecotourism and the natural wilderness environment for marketing Kangerlussuaq and other regions in Greenland. There are several thousand seasonal visitors to Kangerlussuaq, which is the only international transport hub into Greenland and it is rapidly developing as an eco-tourism destination. Tour operators, such as World of Greenland- Arctic Circle http://wogac.com/, offer environmental-related activities and tours.
Ecotourism and "climate change tourism" are growth areas http://www.tourismstat.gl. The benefits of this (and of our previous) work to these groups is to provide a sound science base to inform tourist guides and package tour operators leading to better educational outcomes for visitors. Therefore, this work has relevance to the ecotourism industry and so to the Greenland Ministries of Nature, Environment & Justice, and of Industry, Labour and Trade.
Meteorological agencies: The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) has maintained the weather station at Kangerlussuaq airport since 1973, and has a remit to conduct research activities. Measurements at Kangerlussuaq include dust codes (a semi-quantitative indication of emissions since 1941) which we will compare with our dust measurements. The linkages between meteorological datasets and aerosols investigated in our study will be of interest to DMI and meteorologists in general.
Members of the UK public and next-generation scientists: Public interest in the Arctic continues to grow, and the proposed work provides attractive material for education, outreach and dissemination through public lectures, school visits, social media and other media. The benefit of engaging with this stakeholder group is to encourage next-generation scientists and increase environmental awareness and responsibility.
Local residents in Kangerlussuaq. There are around 550 permanent residents of Kangerlussuaq with an intense interest in and respect for the natural environment. There are around 70 local school children (6-16 years old), who have expressed an interest in the educational opportunities we could offer through this (and previous) work. Specifically, our conversations with local residents revealed a desire to raise aspirations of children in Kangerlussuaq through greater engagement with the scientists who work there. The first aim of the impact plan will therefore be to engage in educational exchange with local residents and schoolchildren with reciprocal benefits for the investigators on this project.
Health workers and agencies: This study will provide baseline data which could be used to ascertain whether glacially-derived dust might be a human health risk for Arctic communities in paraglacial regions. Such work is likely to be directly important to the Ministry of Health, the Government of Greenland but also has relevance for health workers and researchers in other regions. Dust-related health effects including respiratory and lung conditions have been observed elsewhere, but to date there is no published work investigating such linkages in Greenland. Discussions with one local resident revealed complaints that dust appeared to be finer recently and was causing lung problems, which had not been previously experienced. The local council in Kangerlussuaq are encouraging the sowing of grass seeds in an attempt to trap dust, indicating that it is an issue of growing concern. Therefore the second focus of this impact plan will be to gather and disseminate pilot data on the potential links between health and air quality in this region to identify possible areas for further research and to assist with local healthcare planning.
Ecotourism companies, tourist agencies and tourists: The national tourist board Visit Greenland http://www.greenland.com/en/ strongly focuses on ecotourism and the natural wilderness environment for marketing Kangerlussuaq and other regions in Greenland. There are several thousand seasonal visitors to Kangerlussuaq, which is the only international transport hub into Greenland and it is rapidly developing as an eco-tourism destination. Tour operators, such as World of Greenland- Arctic Circle http://wogac.com/, offer environmental-related activities and tours.
Ecotourism and "climate change tourism" are growth areas http://www.tourismstat.gl. The benefits of this (and of our previous) work to these groups is to provide a sound science base to inform tourist guides and package tour operators leading to better educational outcomes for visitors. Therefore, this work has relevance to the ecotourism industry and so to the Greenland Ministries of Nature, Environment & Justice, and of Industry, Labour and Trade.
Meteorological agencies: The Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) has maintained the weather station at Kangerlussuaq airport since 1973, and has a remit to conduct research activities. Measurements at Kangerlussuaq include dust codes (a semi-quantitative indication of emissions since 1941) which we will compare with our dust measurements. The linkages between meteorological datasets and aerosols investigated in our study will be of interest to DMI and meteorologists in general.
Members of the UK public and next-generation scientists: Public interest in the Arctic continues to grow, and the proposed work provides attractive material for education, outreach and dissemination through public lectures, school visits, social media and other media. The benefit of engaging with this stakeholder group is to encourage next-generation scientists and increase environmental awareness and responsibility.
Organisations
Publications
Bullard J
(2023)
Diurnal and seasonal source-proximal dust concentrations in complex terrain, West Greenland
in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Bullard JE
(2019)
Atmospheric dust concentrations during West Greenland dust events
Joanna E. Bullard
(2018)
The importance of aeolian dust inputs into oligotrophic lakes in West Greenland
Prater C
(2021)
Landscape Controls on Nutrient Stoichiometry Regulate Lake Primary Production at the Margin of the Greenland Ice Sheet
in Ecosystems
Van Soest M
(2022)
Annual and seasonal variability in high latitude dust deposition, West Greenland
in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
Title | Pictures of study lakes and surround areas of kangerlussuaq. |
Description | Last year we took over 100 photos of lakes and surrounding areas during our field expeditions. |
Type Of Art | Image |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Impact | Sharing images of proglacial landscapes with the general public. |
Title | Pictures of the landscape in SW Greenland |
Description | We took over 400 field-based photos in 2018. |
Type Of Art | Image |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Impact | These photos have been used in scholarly newsletters and presentations and have also been shown to undergrads and postgrads in classes at Loughborough University. |
Description | Seedcore Grant: Surveying genetic adaptation of lake consumers across dust deposition gradients in Arctic lakes |
Amount | £1,500 (GBP) |
Organisation | Loughborough University |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2019 |
End | 06/2019 |
Description | Social Sciences Seedcorn Grant (Clay Prater and John Anderson) |
Amount | £1,500 (GBP) |
Funding ID | Social Sciences Seedcorn Grant |
Organisation | Loughborough University |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2018 |
End | 07/2019 |
Title | Greenland lake elemental concentrations and dust deposition estimates |
Description | This data base is made up of two different data sources, which are part of our larger overall project. The first contains physical, chemical, and biological data from our 6 study lakes. The other contains information about dust mass deposition estimates at 4 lakes sites and another at a higher elevation site in our study region. These databases have been constructed and archived as directed under supervision of the EIDC. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | The database is not currently public under our data embargo policy on file at the EIDC, but will be available after 3 years from project completion. This data will be used to answer the core objective laid out in our research proposal to investigate the effects of aeolian dust deposition on ecosystem structure and function in West Greenland. |
Title | High resolution DustTrack database |
Description | This data base contains measurements of dust concentrations, particle size, windspeed, temperature and humidity recorded at 10-minute intervals at two different sites in SW Greenland for portions of 2018 and 2019. |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2019 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | This database resents the first simultaneous high-resolution dust and environmental measurements made in high latitude environments. The results are still being analyzed and synthesized before they will be submitted and stored for public access at the EIDC. |
Title | Meteorological and atmospheric dust data from Kangerlussuaq, southwest Greenland, 2017-2019 |
Description | This dataset contains meteorological and atmospheric dust concentration, deposition and particle-size data from Kangerlussuaq, southwest Greenland, 2017-2019. Meteorological and dust concentration data measured at two locations and dust deposition data measured at 5 locations on an east to west transect between 1.8 and 37.4 km from the 2017 Greenland Ice Sheet western margin. The work was supported by the Natural Environment Research Council (grant NE/P011578/1) |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://catalogue.ceh.ac.uk/id/ea6ff6d0-a2da-418f-ac6f-7e6b777e40c5 |
Title | Supplementary information files for: Landscape controls on nutrient stoichiometry regulate lake primary production at the margin of the Greenland ice sheet |
Description | Supplementary files for article: Landscape controls on nutrient stoichiometry regulate lake primary production at the margin of the Greenland ice sheetGlobal change is reshaping the physical environment and altering nutrient dynamics across the Arctic. These changes can affect the structure and function of biological communities and influence important climate-related feedbacks (for example, carbon (C) sequestration) in biogeochemical processing hot spots such as lakes. To understand how these ecosystems will respond in the future, this study examined recent ( |
Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
Year Produced | 2021 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
URL | https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/dataset/Supplementary_information_files_for_Landscape_contro... |
Description | A pictorial collage of research photos and a brief project description |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | This was a highlight of research activities for the project. Published in an online and quarterly newsletter targeted at other members of the scientific field. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://ratiosmatter.files.wordpress.com/2018/08/ratios-matter-august-2018.pdf |
Description | Hosted the United Kingdom Arctic Science Conference at Loughborough University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | JE Bullard led a school wide group that hosted the biannual UK Arctic Science Conference at Loughborough University in Sept. 2019. This event consisted of scientific talks/posters delivered by a diverse group of national and international speakers and also included breakout sessions by the Association of Polar Early Career Sciences (AEPCS) and the UK Arctic and Antarctic Partnership Steering Committee. As part of the conference, C Prater led a secondary school workshop for 40 local students where the students engaged in hands on experimental activities and participated in a "careers in Arctic science" workshop led by UK Arctic Science Conference Volunteers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.arctic.ac.uk/ukarcticconf/ |
Description | Hosting an all party parlimentary group for the polar regions at our research station. |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | We hosted a contingent of 8 members of the Westminster group at our research station in Greenland. We took the MPs on a guided trip up to the ice sheet and talked with them about our research. During this trip they also talked with postgraduates from Loughborough and Sheffield Universities, other researchers at the station and local townspeople. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Interview for Arctic Science Research at Loughborough University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | This activity was part of a promotional video highlighting the ongoing Arctic research being conducted by faculty in the Loughborough University Department of Geography. The video intimated the importance of conducting research in this rapidly changing environment, highlighted the types of work being conducted and the importance of this work for governmental policy. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-2N2ZVzTDs |