Biopolymers form a gelatinous microlayer at the air-sea interface when Arctic sea ice melts

• Main Authors: Galgani, Luisa, Piontek, Judith, Engel, Anja
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2016
• Subjects: Amino acids; dissolved hydrolyzable; Arctic Ocean; Central Basin; ARK-XXVII/3; Bacteria; BIOACID; Biological Impacts of Ocean Acidification; Carbon; organic; dissolved; Coomassie stainable particles; CT; DATE/TIME; DEPTH; water; Description; Event label; ICE; Ice station; Ice station #1; Ice station #2; LATITUDE; LONGITUDE; Polarstern; PS80/224-1; PS80/237-1; PS80/3-track; PS80 IceArc; Salinity; Sample code/label; Site; Slope ratio; Transparent exopolymer particles; Underway cruise track measurements; Uronic acids; Arctic; Climate change; Ocean acidification; Sea ice
• Online Access: https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.871643; https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.871643

The interface layer between ocean and atmosphere is only a couple of micrometers thick but plays a critical role in climate relevant processes, including the air-sea exchange of gas and heat and the emission of primary organic aerosols (POA). Recent findings suggest that low-level cloud formation above the Arctic Ocean may be linked to organic polymers produced by marine microorganisms. Sea ice harbors high amounts of polymeric substances that are produced by cells growing within the seaice brine. Here, we report from a research cruise to the central Arctic Ocean in 2012. Our study shows that microbial polymers accumulate at the air-sea interface when the sea ice melts. Proteinaceous compounds represented the major fraction of polymers supporting the formation of a gelatinous interface microlayer and providing a hitherto unrecognized potential source of marine POA. Our study indicates a novel link between sea ice-ocean and atmosphere that may be sensitive to climate change.