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Higher discharge of terrestrial dissolved organic matter increasing CO2 outgassing across Arctic
6 September 2022
Plymouth Marine Laboratory have led on a publication suggesting that enhanced discharge of terrestrial dissolved organic matter (terr-DOM) will cause CO2 outgassing across Arctic shelves.
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Dr Luca Polimene (PML fellow, currently working at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission) led on and completed this publication whilst with us at PML as a Marine Ecosystem Modeller. Dr Polimene said:
“Amplified terrestrial permafrost thaw and coastal erosion is exposing previously frozen organic matter, increasing its distribution to nearshore regions. Changing terrestrial dissolved organic matter (terr-DOM) loads and composition may alter the balance between primary productivity and respiration, ultimately affecting net regional CO2 air-sea fluxes.”
“In particular, this work highlights that the future evolution of Arctic Ocean CO2 fluxes is highly dependent upon the biological degradability of terr-DOM in coastal waters - a factor often omitted in modelling studies.”
“By using a newly developed biogeochemical model we found increasing terr-DOM loads and degradability, both expected as a consequence of global warming, trigger a series of biogeochemical and ecological processes transforming the Arctic Shelf waters into a net source of CO2 atmosphere thus providing a positive feedback to climate change.”
Read the full publication here >>