Arctic blue carbon: human and climatic drivers of change

以自然为基础的缓解气候变化的解决方案包括自然系统减少和掩埋碳。在陆地生态系统中，森林可以发挥这一功能，这种埋藏的碳被称为绿色碳。在海洋环境中，这些固碳和储存系统被称为蓝碳储存，有证据表明，在高纬度地区，大量蓝碳储存在包括藻类沉积物和沉积物在内的系统中。这些碳可能是冰川诱导的初级生产（通过深水营养物质的上涌）的产物，也可能是海洋大型植物直接产生的碳。特别是北极海岸线被峡湾淹没，然而，关于峡湾通过气候变化和人为输入对碳掩埋的贡献的信息很少。了解这些峡湾固碳的驱动因素如何影响先前的碳埋藏速率，将是预测这些碳储存系统将如何对未来气候和土地利用变化做出反应的关键。历史气候变化已被证明会改变碳埋藏，现在有证据表明，在中纬度峡湾系统中，人类与环境的相互作用可以通过改变土地使用及其对输出到周围峡湾的有机物质的影响来改变碳埋藏。在这种情况下，格陵兰岛特别重要;它面临着变暖导致的冰川融化的风险，而且，努克[人口最多的地区]最近人口大幅增加，预计随着变暖的继续，人口将进一步增加。一起，预计变暖和不断变化的人口可能会改变蓝色碳埋在格陵兰的存储库在未来世纪。目的：该项目将量化当前和历史的碳固存率和机制，埋在一系列格陵兰峡湾系统[包括那些产生的大型植物，珊瑚藻和沉积物]下的代表性气候和土地利用变化。这些数据将使我们能够探索格陵兰峡湾未来的潜在能力，在不断变化的气候和不断增加的人类需求中发挥有效的碳汇作用。

Nature-based solutions to mitigate climate change include the drawdown and burial of carbon by natural systems. In terrestrial systems this function can be performed by forests and such buried carbon is called green carbon. In the marine environment, these carbon sequestering and storing systems are termed blue carbon stores and there is evidence that at high latitudes significant quantities of blue carbon are stored in systems including algal deposits and sediments. That carbon can be the product of glacially induced primary production [via upwelling of deeper water nutrients], but also, carbon directly produced by marine macrophytes. Arctic coastlines in particular are inundated with fjords, however, there is a paucity of information on their contributions to carbon burial through changing climates and anthropogenic inputs. Understanding how these drivers of fjordic carbon sequestration influenced previous rates of carbon burial will be key to predicting how these carbon storage systems will react to future climate and land use changes.Historic climate change has been shown to alter carbon burial and evidence is now emerging that in mid-latitude fjord systems, human interactions with their environment can alter carbon burial through changes in land use and its impact on organic material exported to the surrounding fjords. In this context Greenland is of particular importance; it is at risk of warming-driven glacial melt and also, Nuuk [the largest populated area] has shown substantial recent population increases which are projected to increase further as warming continues. Together, projected warming and changing demography may change blue carbon burial in Greenlandic repositories over the coming century.Aim: This project will quantify current and historic rates and mechanisms of carbon sequestration, burial and remineralisation at a range of Greenlandic fjord systems [including those generated by macrophytes, coralline algae and sediments] under representative climate and land use changes. These data will allow us to explore the future potential capacity of Greenland's fjords to act as efficient carbon sinks in a changing climate and with increasing anthropogenic demands.