Project description
Reconstructing High Arctic polynyas of the past to predict their future
Polynyas are large areas of year-round open water located at two major Arctic-Atlantic gateways in the sea-ice covered oceans surrounding northern Greenland. They are vital for both Arctic fauna and indigenous Arctic communities, both extremely sensitive to rapid climatic fluctuations during the Holocene. The EU-funded POLARC project aims at reconstructing ocean circulation, primary production and sea-ice dynamics at the two main polynyas in the Greenland Sea. The project will focus on significant climatic intervals in the early and late Holocene. Moreover, it will use earth system model outputs to evaluate past and predict future dynamics under different greenhouse gas concentration pathways defined by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Objective
The Arctic is undergoing a profound transformation. The striking increase in observed Greenland Ice Sheet melt and sea-ice retreat are two symptoms of the multiple impacts of climate change at high latitudes. In the sea-ice covered oceans surrounding northern Greenland however, large areas of year-round open water, termed polynyas, have been present since historical times. Located at two major Arctic-Atlantic gateways, these biological productivity hotspots support not only large mammals and birds but are a vital natural and cultural resource for indigenous Arctic communities. Polynyas also act as a potentially significant carbon sink. Three large polynyas recurrently form around northern Greenland. Paleoceanographic reconstructions of the largest, the North Water Polynya, indicate that the polynya and its associated ecosystem are extremely sensitive to rapid climatic fluctuations during the Holocene. Taking advantage of new, readily available marine sediment cores, I propose to reconstruct, for the first time, ocean circulation and sea-ice dynamics at the two main polynyas in the Greenland Sea (North East Water and Sirius Water). This action will target key climatic intervals in the early (Holocene Climatic Optimum) and late (Little Ice Age, Medieval Warm Period) Holocene and provide direct input to a fully-coupled earth system model to evaluate past and, more vitally, predict future dynamics under different greenhouse gas concentration pathways defined by the IPCC. This action provides a unique opportunity for me to learn a new proxy for Arctic paleoclimate reconstructions, skills in the applicability of paleo-data to modelling and a number of essential transferable skills such as scientific writing and mentorship, coupled with an extensive new network of expert collaborators. Through this action, I believe I can contribute to bringing this field of research forward, while gaining invaluable assets for my career development as an independent Arctic researcher.
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 palaeontology paleoclimatology
- natural sciences biological sciences ecology ecosystems
- natural sciences biological sciences zoology mammalogy
- natural sciences earth and related environmental sciences atmospheric sciences climatology climatic changes
- natural sciences computer and information sciences software software applications simulation software
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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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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
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.
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.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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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) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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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.
1350 Kobenhavn K
Denmark
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.