Collaborative Research: A Multipronged Approach to Investigate how Hydrography and Mixing Shape Productive Fjord Ecosystems in Greenland

合作研究：采用多管齐下的方法来研究水文学和混合如何塑造格陵兰岛富有生产力的峡湾生态系统

• 批准号: 2335929
• 负责人: Dustin Carroll
• 金额: $ 7.84万
• 依托单位: San Jose State University Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-09-01 至 2027-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2335929&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Multipronged; Approach; Investigate

Understanding the intricate relationship between physical oceanography and marine ecosystems is crucial for predicting the impacts of climate variability and shifts on productive Arctic ecosystems. This research focuses on Greenland fjords and adjacent shelf seas, which are areas of immense ecological and socio-economic importance, particularly to Arctic Indigenous communities. These ecosystems, vital for local fisheries, are influenced by physical transport processes such as water circulation and mixing. In collaboration with scientists at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources (GINR), the researchers will investigate the connections between physical oceanography and marine ecology in the fjord system around Greenland’s capital, Nuuk. By combining field observations with an advanced computer model of the fjord system, the researchers will examine how physical transport processes affect nutrient supply, primary productivity, and ultimately, the food supply for fish and marine mammals. This endeavor not only advances scientific understanding, but also addresses broader societal concerns by creating knowledge to inform sustainable management practices, thereby enhancing the resilience of local communities to climate-induced changes in marine resources. The project is led by early career scientists, including two who are women. The project will also train two postdoctoral fellows and will provide opportunities for the public in the U.S. and Greenland to engage with the project.The project involves targeted field campaigns in the fjord system around Nuuk, Greenland to collect hydrographic, turbulence, nutrient and benthic fauna samples near potential mixing hotspots such as sills, narrow straits or the steep fjord walls, and in winter conditions in close proximity to a glacier front. A coupled ocean, sea ice, and marine biogeochemistry model, constrained with observational data, will be used to elucidate the mechanisms through which physical transport influences ecological dynamics in the fjords. Specific objectives include assessing the role of lateral transport in spatial nutrient distribution, and evaluating the impact of vertical mixing on primary productivity. Based on the modeling framework and maps of distribution of benthic habitats derived from video surveys, as well as process-based links inferred from the collected observations, the researchers will link benthic habitat distribution with the variability of physical and biogeochemical fjord conditions. Simulations of future conditions will offer a framework for predicting ecosystem responses to environmental changes, a product that will aid in the assessment of the future of vital marine resources upon which local Indigenous communities depend. The project will host outreach events in Nuuk and Kapisillit, and a scientific workshop at the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources to discuss the utility of the data-constrained coupled physical-biogeochemistry model. These events will facilitate U.S.-Greenland research collaborations. Within the U.S., the project supports the career development of early-career scientists and will further develop a diverse STEM workforce through outreach events that encourage young women to pursue Arctic marine science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

了解物理海洋学和海洋生态系统之间的复杂关系对于预测气候变率和变化对北极生产性生态系统的影响至关重要。这项研究的重点是格陵兰峡湾和邻近的陆架海，这些地区具有巨大的生态和社会经济重要性，特别是对北极土著社区。这些对当地渔业至关重要的生态系统受到诸如水循环和混合等物理运输过程的影响。研究人员将与格陵兰自然资源研究所（GINR）的科学家合作，调查格陵兰首都努克周围峡湾系统中物理海洋学和海洋生态学之间的联系。通过将实地观察与峡湾系统的先进计算机模型相结合，研究人员将研究物理运输过程如何影响营养供应、初级生产力，并最终影响鱼类和海洋哺乳动物的食物供应。这一努力不仅促进了科学认识，而且通过创造知识，为可持续管理实践提供信息，解决了更广泛的社会问题，从而增强了当地社区对气候引起的海洋资源变化的适应能力。该项目由早期职业科学家领导，其中包括两名女性。该项目还将培养两名博士后，并将为美国和格陵兰的公众提供参与该项目的机会。该项目包括在格陵兰岛努克附近的峡湾系统进行有针对性的实地考察，在潜在的混合热点（如浅滩、狭窄的海峡或陡峭的峡湾壁）附近，以及在靠近冰川前沿的冬季条件下，收集水文、湍流、营养物质和底栖动物样本。一个耦合的海洋、海冰和海洋生物地球化学模型，在观测数据的约束下，将用于阐明物理运输影响峡湾生态动力学的机制。具体目标包括评估横向运输在空间养分分布中的作用，以及评估垂直混合对初级生产力的影响。基于视频调查得出的底栖动物栖息地分布图和建模框架，以及从收集到的观测数据推断出的基于过程的联系，研究人员将把底栖动物栖息地分布与峡湾物理和生物地球化学条件的变化联系起来。对未来条件的模拟将为预测生态系统对环境变化的反应提供一个框架，这一产品将有助于评估当地土著社区所依赖的重要海洋资源的未来。该项目将在Nuuk和Kapisillit举办外联活动，并在格陵兰自然资源研究所举办科学研讨会，讨论数据受限的物理-生物地球化学耦合模型的效用。这些活动将促进美国与格陵兰的研究合作。在美国，该项目支持早期职业科学家的职业发展，并将通过鼓励年轻女性追求北极海洋科学的外展活动进一步发展多样化的STEM劳动力。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。