Project description
Uncovering the Arctic’s hidden climate role
The Arctic, known for its vast carbon and nitrogen reservoirs, is warming faster than the global average and is a significant source of greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide. Yet, research disproportionately focuses on high-emission ‘hotspot’ areas, overlooking the potential for Arctic soils to absorb these gases. Such ‘coldspots’ could partially offset greenhouse gas emissions, redefining our understanding of the Arctic’s role in global climate systems. The ERC-funded COLDSPOT project addresses this gap by investigating when, where and why Arctic soils act as methane and nitrous oxide sinks. Using advanced laser-based measurements, machine learning and climate chamber experiments, COLDSPOT will uncover the mechanisms driving greenhouse gas uptake, transforming Arctic and global greenhouse gas research.
Objective
The release of greenhouse gases from the terrestrial biosphere is of global importance. The Arctic is a net source of the greenhouse gases methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), and a biogeochemically important ecosystem due to immense soil carbon and nitrogen pools and above-average warming. An observation-bias in Arctic greenhouse gas reporting towards high-emitting hotspot sites is evident. In contrast, uptake of CH4 and N2O by Arctic soils, leading to greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere, could partially compensate for carbon and nitrogen losses and completely redefine our baseline understanding of Arctic and global greenhouse gas budgets. No consideration has been given to understanding natural CH4 and N2O sinks in the Arctic, and the complex biogeochemical mechanisms governing these coldspots.
I aim to show that Arctic greenhouse gas uptake matters, and that, contrary to traditional beliefs, intricate temporal uptake patterns exist and are driven by plant and microbial functioning. COLDSPOT will fulfil the scientific need to know when, where, and why Arctic soils act as a sink for CH4 and N2O, and will identify novel mechanisms underlying Arctic greenhouse gas uptake. High-resolution, laser-based measurements of soil CH4 and N2O uptake at field sites in Canada, Greenland, and Finland will be combined with machine learning tools and in-depth studies of environmental drivers in sophisticated experimental manipulations. COLDSPOT applies a multi-scale approach combining field-based measurements of multiple gas species with climate simulation experiments in state-of-the-art climate chambers in the laboratory, and investigations ranging from the microbial scale, via soil and plant processes to ecosystem-scale models.
COLDSPOT will generate new process-understanding, fundamentally transform our perception of the magnitude and functioning of greenhouse gas sinks in the Arctic, and provide breakthrough insights for Arctic and global greenhouse gas research.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences meteorology biosphera
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences chemical sciences organic chemistry aliphatic compounds
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-STG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
27570 BREMERHAVEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.