Biological Dynamics of the Inorganic Carbon System in the Arctic Ocean Based on Samples from the 1994 U.S./Canada Transarctic Section

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9400036 Sambrotto Research supported by this grant is under the auspices of the Arctic Systems Science (ARCSS) Global Change Research Program and is jointly sponsored by the Division of Ocean Sciences and the Office of Polar Programs. The research will be centered around a unique and intensive, multidisciplinary research expedition to parts of the Arctic Ocean that have never been extensively studied. The 1994 U.S./Canada Arctic Ocean Section is a collaborative effort with Canada that will involve approximately 60 scientists on a Canadian and a U.S. icebreaker during summer 1994. NSF-funded projects will focus on hydrography, biology, paleo-, and sea-ice studies. Data collected will be amongst the first ever from several regions of the Arctic Ocean and will be highly relevant to improving our understanding of how the Arctic is an indicator of changing global climate conditions and how it affects the physical, chemical, and biological features of the more temperate oceans and regions. This work is a component of the collaborative biology program. Research will be undertaken to investigate the horizontal movement of carbon in Arctic waters. Unlike in ice-free waters where vertical movement of organic material through the "biological pump" dominates the carbon flux pathway, horizontal movement of organic matter from the large Arctic shelves to the interior may be the dominant flux pathway for carbon in Arctic systems. Research will focus on the importance of horizontal carbon flux using measurements of the inorganic carbon system, total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and dissolved CO2 gas, from which carbonate and alkalinity will be derived. Organic and inorganic carbon production and mineralization rates in upper surface waters will be determined and analyzed based on the distribution of these variables relative to isopycnal surfaces and water mass age. These measurements complement other on board sampling projects and will facilitate a better understanding of carbon flux dynamic s in the Arctic Ocean. ***