The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet
This paper presents an assessment of biological activity associated with ice surface debris (cryoconite) at the ice-sheet scale. Estimates of the mass distribution of cryoconite over the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) and the biological activity associated with it are presented and then coupled with a su...
Published in: | Annals of Glaciology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
Published: |
International Glaciological Society
2010
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/215732/ |
id |
ftuglasgow:oai:eprints.gla.ac.uk:215732 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftuglasgow:oai:eprints.gla.ac.uk:215732 2023-05-15T13:29:43+02:00 The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet Hodson, Andy Bøggild, Carl Hanna, Edward Huybrechts, Phillipe Langford, Harry Cameron, Karen Houldsworth, Alexandra 2010 http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/215732/ unknown International Glaciological Society Hodson, A., Bøggild, C., Hanna, E., Huybrechts, P., Langford, H., Cameron, K. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/55427.html> and Houldsworth, A. (2010) The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet. Annals of Glaciology <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/journal_volume/Annals_of_Glaciology.html>, 51(56), pp. 123-129. (doi:10.3189/172756411795931985 <http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931985>) Articles PeerReviewed 2010 ftuglasgow https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931985 2021-10-21T22:10:17Z This paper presents an assessment of biological activity associated with ice surface debris (cryoconite) at the ice-sheet scale. Estimates of the mass distribution of cryoconite over the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) and the biological activity associated with it are presented and then coupled with a surface mass-balance model to estimate total carbon fluxes due to respiration and photosynthesis. We find an average loading of 66gm−2 at Kangerlussuaq, southwest Greenland, which compares well with recent estimates from Kronprins Christians Land (17–440 gm−2: Bøggild and others, 2010) in northeast Greenland. We also report a significant microbial biomass in cryoconite at both these places (103–104 cells mg−1) and carbon fluxes of the order of 1–3 μM C g−1d−1 for both respiration and photosynthesis. The modelling indicates that total respiration and photosynthesis fluxes are likely to be ∼101–102 GgCa−1 and thus far from trivial. However, estimation of the net ecosystem impact across the entire ice sheet on atmospheric CO2 concentrations is problematic because photosynthesis rates were almost certainly low during our field campaign. Therefore, like its water balance, the carbon balance of the GIS is now known to be important, but its accurate quantification will remain elusive until more data are forthcoming. Article in Journal/Newspaper Annals of Glaciology Greenland Ice Sheet Kangerlussuaq University of Glasgow: Enlighten - Publications Greenland Kangerlussuaq ENVELOPE(-55.633,-55.633,72.633,72.633) Annals of Glaciology 51 56 123 129 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Glasgow: Enlighten - Publications |
op_collection_id |
ftuglasgow |
language |
unknown |
description |
This paper presents an assessment of biological activity associated with ice surface debris (cryoconite) at the ice-sheet scale. Estimates of the mass distribution of cryoconite over the Greenland ice sheet (GIS) and the biological activity associated with it are presented and then coupled with a surface mass-balance model to estimate total carbon fluxes due to respiration and photosynthesis. We find an average loading of 66gm−2 at Kangerlussuaq, southwest Greenland, which compares well with recent estimates from Kronprins Christians Land (17–440 gm−2: Bøggild and others, 2010) in northeast Greenland. We also report a significant microbial biomass in cryoconite at both these places (103–104 cells mg−1) and carbon fluxes of the order of 1–3 μM C g−1d−1 for both respiration and photosynthesis. The modelling indicates that total respiration and photosynthesis fluxes are likely to be ∼101–102 GgCa−1 and thus far from trivial. However, estimation of the net ecosystem impact across the entire ice sheet on atmospheric CO2 concentrations is problematic because photosynthesis rates were almost certainly low during our field campaign. Therefore, like its water balance, the carbon balance of the GIS is now known to be important, but its accurate quantification will remain elusive until more data are forthcoming. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hodson, Andy Bøggild, Carl Hanna, Edward Huybrechts, Phillipe Langford, Harry Cameron, Karen Houldsworth, Alexandra |
spellingShingle |
Hodson, Andy Bøggild, Carl Hanna, Edward Huybrechts, Phillipe Langford, Harry Cameron, Karen Houldsworth, Alexandra The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet |
author_facet |
Hodson, Andy Bøggild, Carl Hanna, Edward Huybrechts, Phillipe Langford, Harry Cameron, Karen Houldsworth, Alexandra |
author_sort |
Hodson, Andy |
title |
The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_short |
The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_full |
The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_fullStr |
The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_full_unstemmed |
The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet |
title_sort |
cryoconite ecosystem on the greenland ice sheet |
publisher |
International Glaciological Society |
publishDate |
2010 |
url |
http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/215732/ |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-55.633,-55.633,72.633,72.633) |
geographic |
Greenland Kangerlussuaq |
geographic_facet |
Greenland Kangerlussuaq |
genre |
Annals of Glaciology Greenland Ice Sheet Kangerlussuaq |
genre_facet |
Annals of Glaciology Greenland Ice Sheet Kangerlussuaq |
op_relation |
Hodson, A., Bøggild, C., Hanna, E., Huybrechts, P., Langford, H., Cameron, K. <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/author/55427.html> and Houldsworth, A. (2010) The cryoconite ecosystem on the Greenland ice sheet. Annals of Glaciology <http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/view/journal_volume/Annals_of_Glaciology.html>, 51(56), pp. 123-129. (doi:10.3189/172756411795931985 <http://dx.doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931985>) |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3189/172756411795931985 |
container_title |
Annals of Glaciology |
container_volume |
51 |
container_issue |
56 |
container_start_page |
123 |
op_container_end_page |
129 |
_version_ |
1766002387782205440 |