Descripción del proyecto
El efecto del hielo marino y el fitoplancton del Ártico en el cambio climático
El cambio climático ya ha infligido graves daños a personas y propiedades en todo el mundo, lo que ha obligado a países y organizaciones a tomar medidas para reducir sus efectos y mitigar sus consecuencias. La disminución del hielo marino en el océano Ártico se considera un factor importante que contribuye al cambio climático, y su rápido descenso ha suscitado preocupación entre los científicos. Además, el reciente descubrimiento de importantes floraciones de fitoplancton bajo el hielo que desempeñan un papel crucial en la ecología del océano Ártico ha planteado numerosas cuestiones importantes. El equipo del proyecto CAP-ICE, financiado con fondos europeos, pretende establecer y coordinar una red internacional de investigación centrada en las floraciones de fitoplancton bajo el hielo y sus efectos en el ciclo del carbono y el cambio climático en el Ártico. Para alcanzar este objetivo, en el proyecto se aprovecharán tecnologías avanzadas y se realizarán observaciones de campo panárticas.
Objetivo
Over the last decades, sea-ice in the Arctic Ocean (AO) has undergone unprecedented changes, with drastic decline in its extent, thickness and duration. Modern climate models are unable to simulate these changes, leading to large uncertainties in Arctic and Global Change predictions. Sea-ice strongly attenuates solar radiation and it is generally thought that phytoplankton, which drives Arctic marine CO2 sequestration, only grow in open waters once sea-ice retreats in spring. However, the discovery of large under-ice phytoplankton blooms (UIBs) growing beneath sea-ice contradicts this paradigm. UIB productivity in ice-covered regions has been suggested to be ten-fold larger than presently modeled. By initiating an international network (USA, France, Canada, Germany, Norway), the CAP-ICE project will acquire knowledge on the occurrence of UIBs, the physical mechanisms that control their initiation and productivity, and will quantify how UIBs affect the Arctic carbon cycle and climate.
CAP-ICE will equally combine observational, modeling and novel technology approaches. Multiple pan-Arctic expeditions will provide new field observations on the environmental conditions controlling UIBs. Since UIBs are invisible to ocean color satellite sensors, developing a novel model adapted to under-ice environments will allow quantifying the contribution of UIBs to the Arctic carbon cycle. Finally, the recent launch of autonomous robotic platforms (Bio-Argo floats) will support the first assessment of UIB primary production and carbon export in AO and the implementation of a Bio-Argo Arctic network. These inter-disciplinary and innovative activities will establish a two-way exchange of knowledge between the researcher/fellow and the host institutions and enhance their European and international competitiveness. Outcomes of CAP-ICE will have an impact on the European strategy for global ocean observations, enhance European research excellence, and address a major societal challenge.
Ámbito científico
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesmeteorologysolar radiation
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesoceanography
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesatmospheric sciencesclimatologyclimatic changes
- natural sciencesearth and related environmental sciencesgeochemistrybiogeochemistry
Programa(s)
Régimen de financiación
MSCA-IF-GF - Global FellowshipsCoordinador
75006 Paris
Francia