RAPID: Abrupt, Coherent Increase in the Color of Arctic lakes of West Greenland: Investigating Contributing Factors

同时，西格陵兰岛的湖泊也发生了变化。自2022年8月以来的某个时候，几十年来一直是“蓝色”或非常清澈的湖泊迅速变成了深棕色。过去一年异常潮湿和多云的天气可能导致了湖泊颜色的变化，但导致这种颜色变化的因素尚不清楚。初步数据表明，这些湖泊中的金属浓度增加了一个数量级，最近在阿拉斯加布鲁克斯山脉的溪流中也观察到类似的水色变化，这引发了一个问题：这是否会成为一种泛北极现象，导致整个北极淡水系统的广泛变化。理解这一重大变化的关键第一步是量化导致这种颜色变化的因素，以及它们的起源。这项工作旨在促进对这一现象的更广泛理解。我们在这些湖泊中观察到的迅速而实质性的变化是气候变化如何威胁北极社区确保安全饮用水源的能力的又一个例子。我们将分析来自Ferguson湖Kangerlussuaq饮用水源的水和沉积物样本，分析包括铅和砷在内的微量元素，以评估这些元素是否由于最近水文变化而发生了变化。这项工作与格陵兰国家研究战略中提出的优先事项一致，促进国际合作，并以多种方式交流成果，使其广泛获得。这项研究还将通过确定对饮用水的潜在威胁对其他北极社区有益。该项目还将为一名博士生和一名早期职业科学家提供支持。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。

A simultaneous shift has occurred in lakes across West Greenland. At some point since August 2022, lakes that were “blue” or very clear for decades have rapidly and darkly turned brown. Unusually wet and cloudy conditions over the past year likely led to this change in lake color, but the factors contributing to this color change remain unclear. Preliminary data suggest that metal concentrations have increased by an order of magnitude in these lakes, and a similar change in water color has been observed recently in streams in the Brooks Range of Alaska, raising the question of whether this will become a pan-Arctic phenomenon, leading to widespread changes across Arctic freshwater systems. A key initial step to understanding this major change is to quantify what factors are contributing to this color change, and what their origin might be. This proposed work aims to contribute to the broader understanding of this phenomenon.The rapid, substantial change that we observed in these lakes presents yet another example of how changing climate threatens the ability of Arctic communities to ensure safe drinking water sources. We will analyze water and sediment samples from the drinking water source of Kangerlussuaq, Lake Ferguson, to analyze trace elements, including lead and arsenic, to assess whether these have changed as a consequence of the recently altered hydrology. This work aligns with priorities set forth in Greenland’s National Research Strategy by promoting international cooperation and communicating results in multiple ways to make it broadly accessible. The research will also be of benefit to other Arctic communities by identifying potential emerging threats to drinking water. This project will also provide support for a Ph.D. student and an early career scientist.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.