Abstract
The waters adjacent to the Nioghalvfjerdsbræ (79 North Glacier, 79NG) are influenced by Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) melt, sea-ice meltwater, and waters on the adjacent northeast Greenland shelf (NEGS). We investigated ocean acidification (OA) variables and the role of freshening, primary production, and air-sea CO2 exchange in Dijmphna Sound (DS) and on the NEGS in the summers of 2012 and 2016. The upper 150 m consisted of Polar Water with Arctic origin that was divided into a fresh surface layer (SL<50 m) and a cold halocline layer (CHL, 50 to 150 m). The layer below 150 m was of Atlantic origin. The SL freshwater was larger in 2012 than in 2016, mainly originated from local 79NG (and GrIS) runoff in DS, whereas on the NEGS in both years, it was mainly from sea-ice melt. The lowest aragonite saturation state (ΩAr) of 1.13 was found in the SL in 2012. Biological CO2 drawdown at primary production caused increased ΩAr in SL, which compensated for most of the ΩAr decrease due to the freshwater dilution of carbonate ions reducing total alkalinity, hence preventing corrosive conditions. This was most pronounced near the 79NG front in 2012, where surface stratification was most pronounced coinciding with large glacial meltwater fractions. Freshening decreased ΩAr by 0.4 at the 79NG front was compensated by biological CO2 drawdown by ~0.5. In 2016, a well-mixed water column in DS and NEGS, with dilution by sea-ice meltwater, caused less compensation on ΩAr by biological CO2 drawdown than in 2012. In future with changing climate and changing ocean chemistry, the increased meltwater effects may overcome the alleviating effects of biological CO2 drawdown on OA with unfavorable conditions for calcifying organisms. However, our study also suggests that primary production may be stimulated by stratification from surface meltwater. In addition, Atlantification and subglacial discharge may result in upwelling of inorganic nutrients that could promote primary production.
1 Introduction
Substantial thinning, retreat, and melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and Arctic glaciers have been observed over the last decades (e.g., ; ; ) due to climate change, as resulting in changes in the seawater chemical composition and carbonate chemistry (e.g., Meire et al., 2014; ; ). Melting of glacier ice by increased presence and warming of the Atlantic water (Atlantification) by marine-terminating glaciers in northeast Greenland fjords have recently been reported (; ; ), which will further act to accelerate GrIS glacial melting. Dijmphna Sound (DS) is a site of significant meltwater export from the Nioghalvfjerdsbræ (79 North Glacier; 79NG; ; Figure 1A) and suitable laboratory for the study of the effects of freshening on the marine carbonate system (or CO2 system).
Figure 1
The carbonate chemistry parameters, including calcium carbonate (CaCO3) saturation state (Ω), are key variables to monitor and assess a change in ocean carbonate chemistry and ocean acidification (OA) state. Ω provides information about the thermodynamic potential for CaCO3 shell dissolution. The calcite and aragonite forms of CaCO3 are biologically produced and are rarely formed inorganically. However, the solubility is chemically controlled and depends on salinity, temperature, pressure, and carbonate ion concentration. Calcite (Ca) is the stable form and aragonite (Ar) is the meta-stable form, which is given by their different solubility products, Ksp. When Ω >1, the mineral will be kept in solid state and when Ω<1, thermodynamic state, the mineral will tend to dissolve, also referred to as corrosive condition for CaCO3. The Ω value is expressed by the product of concentrations of calcium ([Ca2+]) and carbonate ions ([CO32-]) in seawater divided by the Ksp at a given temperature (T), practical salinity (S), and pressure, according to Equation 1:
In the ocean, the [CO32−] and [Ca2+] control much of the variability in ΩAr and susceptibility for dissolution.
Previous studies in the Arctic Ocean and fjords in Spitsbergen and southern Greenland show changes in ocean chemistry with freshening and that it results in lower Ω, total alkalinity (AT), and pHT referred to as OA (; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ). Decreasing Ω and loss in [CO32−] will cause damage to CaCO3 shells of calcifying marine organisms, such as aragonite-shell forming pteropods, with potentially detrimental effects on organisms and ecosystem (e.g., ; ; ). However, living calcifying organisms can produce shells at Ω<1 but to an energetic cost and lead to unfavorable conditions ().
The Arctic Ocean is particularly vulnerable to OA due to the cold and relatively fresh surface waters from meltwater (glacial and sea-ice melt) and river runoff that dissolves more atmospheric CO2 than saltier and warmer waters (). These waters have locally low pHT and are naturally low in carbonate ions (CO32−) and total alkalinity (AT) due to dilution by large freshwater runoff (; ). Consequently, the Arctic Ocean has the lowest ΩAr compared with the world oceans (e.g., ). Increased freshwater runoff from the GrIS has the potential to further enhance OA both locally in Greenland fjords (e.g., ) and on the shelf (e.g., NEGS). On the other hand, studies in Arctic fjords have shown that glacial drainage water from calcareous bedrock can partly mitigate the effect of freshening due to addition of buffering ions such as [CO32−] (; ; ). Moreover, sea ice can also contribute with [CO32−] during the dissolution of sea-ice-derived CaCO3 (ikaite) (; ; ).
Primary production (PP) results in increased ΩAr and pHT due to CO2 (DIC) drawdown in spring/summer, net respiration (i.e., CO2 production) decreases ΩAr and pHT in fall/winter, and freshwater supply generally lowers ΩAr and pHT through dilution of ions (). Primary and secondary production in glacier influenced fjords can be stimulated by meltwater-driven upwelling of nutrient-rich subglacial water (; ; ; Meire et al., 2014; ; ) and addition of micronutrients (e.g., iron; ; ; ). Moreover, deeper waters that have been isolated from the surface and accumulated CO2 from organic matter degradation can be entrained and further decrease Ω and pHT ().
Observations of carbonate chemistry in the northern Greenland fjords are scarce due to limited accessibility. Here, we focus on the water column carbonate chemistry, inorganic nutrients, and OA state in 2 years in DS and NEGS, next to the 79NG (Figure 1A). Estimates and evaluation of drivers affecting the carbonate chemistry, OA, and potential for air-sea CO2 exchange in the upper 50 m in the DS and NEGS are presented and discussed for the two summers/years, in relation to freshening and climate change.
2 Study area
The DS and NEGS system are one of the largest outlets of the northeast Greenland ice stream (NEGIS), extending more than 600 km into the interior of the GrIS and draining 9% of it (Figure 1B; ; ; ). The 79NG is a marine-terminating glacier with two calving fronts and is connected to GrIS (Figures 1A, B). One front is located south of Hovgaard Island and is 30–35 km wide. A second front (Spaltegletscher) calves into the 10-km-wide DS (e.g., ; ; ), which is the focus of this study (Figures 1A, B). The floating part of the 79NG ice tongue shows strong surface melting during summer with an annual ablation of 1 m (). The DS is around 60–70 km long from near the sill (at 130 m) to the 79NG front at the fjord head. The upper 150 m is the Polar Water (PW; ), which in this study is divided into two layers; the relatively fresh surface layer affected by seasonal processes such as primary production, meltwater, and seasonal warming (SL; 0 to<50 m), and a cold halocline layer (CHL; >50–150 m) at near-freezing temperatures (θ<0°C) with a salinity of approximately 32.5 (Figure 2A). The SL is mainly formed locally and is affected by glacial meltwater (). The layer below 150 m to bottom consists of water of Atlantic origin (AW; S >34.4, θ >0°C; ).
Figure 2
3 Materials and methods
3.1 Sampling and analytical methods
Sampling in the DS and NEGS was performed in 27–28/08/2012 and 3–4/09/2016 onboard R/V Lance, as part of the Norwegian Polar Institute’s long-term monitoring in the area. The station locations are presented in Table 1 and Figure 1A. In our study, summer data from DS and 40 km to the east from the sill of DS represent water on the adjacent NEGS (Figure 1A). Abbreviations throughout the manuscript are summarized in a glossary table (Table S1).
Table 1A
| Station # | Date mm/dd/yyyy | Latitude (°N) | Longitude (°W) | Bottom depth (m) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | 08/27/2012 | 80.00 | -15.36 | 245 | NEGS |
| 24 | 08/27/2012 | 80.11 | -15.70 | 431 | NEGS |
| 25 | 08/27/2012 | 80.13 | -15.91 | 217 | NEGS |
| 27 | 08/27/2012 | 80.16 | -16.18 | 352 | NEGS |
| 28 | 08/27/2012 | 80.17 | -16.38 | 152 | NEGS |
| 29* | 08/27/2012 | 79.81 | -20.22 | 538 | DS (79NG) |
| 30 | 08/28/2012 | 79.80 | -20.09 | 215 | DS (79NG) |
| 31 | 08/28/2012 | 79.82 | -20.31 | 327 | DS (79NG) |
| 32 | 08/28/2012 | 79.89 | -20.00 | 321 | DS |
| 33* | 08/28/2012 | 79.96 | -19.76 | 394 | DS |
| 34* | 08/28/2012 | 80.00 | -19.54 | 533 | DS |
| 35* | 08/28/2012 | 80.05 | -19.12 | 467 | DS |
| 36* | 08/28/2012 | 80.08 | -18.67 | 239 | DS |
| 37* | 08/28/2012 | 80.10 | -18.19 | 202 | DS |
| 38* | 08/28/2012 | 80.13 | -17.70 | 214 | DS |
| 39 | 08/28/2012 | 80.13 | -17.39 | 156 | sill |
| 40 | 08/28/2012 | 80.16 | -17.33 | 179 | Sill |
| 42 | 08/28/2012 | 80.10 | -17.40 | 105 | Sill |
Date, location and bottom depth for stations used in the study from 2012 in the fjord of Dijmphna Sound (DS), NE Greenland shelf (NEGS).
Stations located near the 79NG glacier front is denoted 79NG. Stations denoted with an asterisk (*) indicate the seven stations that were repeated in 2016 (see also Table 1B).
Table 1B
| Station # | Date mm/dd/yyyy | Latitude (°N) | Longitude (°W) | Bottom depth (m) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26* | 09/03/2016 | 80.13 | -17.71 | 217 | Sill |
| 27* | 09/03/2016 | 80.10 | -18.20 | 192 | in DS |
| 28* | 09/04/2016 | 80.08 | -18.66 | 244 | in DS |
| 29* | 09/04/2016 | 80.05 | -19.11 | 462 | in DS |
| 30* | 09/04/2016 | 79.99 | -19.53 | 513 | in DS |
| 31* | 09/04/2016 | 79.97 | -19.76 | 493 | in DS |
| 33* | 09/04/2016 | 79.81 | -20.22 | 530 | DS (79NG) |
| 36 | 09/04/2016 | 80.13 | -16.95 | 249 | NEGS |
| 37 | 09/04/2016 | 80.11 | -16.24 | 354 | NEGS |
Date, location and bottom depth for stations used in the study from 2016 in the fjord of Dijmphna Sound DS, NE Greenland shelf NEGS.
Stations located near the 79NG glacier front is denoted 79NG. Stations denoted by asterisk (*) indicate the repeat stations from 2012.
Water samples were collected from 8-L Niskin bottles mounted on a General Oceanics 12-bottle rosette equipped with a conductivity–temperature–depth sensor (CTD, Sea-Bird SBE 911plus) and a chlorophyll a fluorescence probe (WetLabs). Water samples were collected (at fixed depths) from the same Niskin bottles for analysis of salinity, water oxygen isotopic ratio (δ18O-H2O, hereafter referred to as δ18O), dissolved inorganic nutrients, and the carbonate system parameters total inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (AT).
Samples for the analyses of DIC and AT were collected in 250-mL borosilicate bottles following standard sampling protocols (
The samples for determination of inorganic nutrients (nitrate, phosphate, silicic acid) were collected in acid-washed polyethylene bottles and frozen at −20°C until laboratory analyses using an autoanalyzer (Skalar) following the approach of
3.2 Calculations
3.2.1 Carbonate chemistry
The concentrations of AT and DIC, inorganic nutrients (phosphate and silicic acid), salinity, and temperature were used as input parameters in a CO2-chemical speciation model (CO2SYS program,
3.2.2 Freshwater fractions and endmembers
To investigate the local effects of freshwater addition on ΩAr, the freshwater content (meteoric and sea-ice meltwater) (FWTOT) was calculated based on a reference (REF) seawater (SWREF) located at the boundary between SL and CHL with a salinity (SREF) of 32.5, at 50 m, and the measured salinity of the water sample (SMEAS).
AT, S, and T were used to investigate the freshwater endmembers. Linear regressions of AT vs. S for the different water layers give the AT freshwater endmember (ATFWEM) at the intercept at zero (y-axis) salinity, for SL and CHL in the DS and the NEGS.
Fractions of meteoric water (FGM) and sea-ice meltwater (FSIM) were estimated in the SL using the relationships between salinity and δ18O, and endmember values for glacial meltwater in the SL (GM), sea-ice meltwater (SIM), and SWREF (Table 2), following Equations 3–5 (
Table 2
| Salinity | δ18O (‰) | |
|---|---|---|
| Sea-ice meltwater (SIM) | 2.3±1.1 | -1.0±0.6 |
| Glacial meltwater (GM) | 0 | -28±3 |
| Reference seawater (SWREF) | 32.5±0.8 | -2.5±0.7 |
End-member parameter values for salinity and δ18O for sea-ice meltwater (SIM), glacial meltwater (GM) and reference seawater (SWREF). SWREF values were from this study.
SIM from melted sea ice in western Fram Strait (
3.2.3 Effects of freshwater and primary production on saturation state
The impact of freshening (ΔXFW) and inorganic carbon drawdown by PP (ΔXBIO) on concentrations of DIC, AT, and PO43- (depicted as X here) was partitioned using the approach described in
XBIO and ΔXBIO were calculated using the change in [PO43] converted to carbon drawdown (ΔDICBIO) using Redfield (
The AT values are affected only to a minor extent by PP. However, by the assimilation of NO3− and hydrogen ions for the formation of protein during photosynthesis, the AT increases and was corrected by 1 µmol kg−1 per one unit of NO3− change (ATBIO). ATBIO and DICBIO were used as input variables CO2SYS (Section 3.2.1) to obtain values of ΩAr and other carbonate system parameters that were affected only by biological CO2 drawdown (ΩArBIO) as for ΩArFW. The resulting net effects on ΩAr of either freshwater addition (ΔΩArFW) or biological CO2 drawdown (ΔΩArBIO) in the DS and on the NEGS were estimated as the difference between ΩAr in the SWREF (ΩArREF) and the ΩArFW and ΩArBIO, respectively (Equation 9A, 9B, 9C).
To investigate the role of other processes (ΔXDIFF), ΔXBIO and ΔXFW were subtracted from the DICREF and ATREF to obtain XCORR (Equation 10), which was compared with the measured AT and DIC (XMEAS) according to Equation 11. A positive ΔXDIFF suggests a net addition of [CO32−] possibly from the contribution of bedrock-derived carbonic minerals in the glacial drainage water.
where XGLAC is the concentration of AT at zero S (i.e., intercept) in the linear regression between AT and S. ΔATGLAC is the change due to effects of glacial drainage water. The supply of [CO32] results in AT changes with 1 mol and DIC with 2 mol. ΔDICREST is the residual (Equation 13), which consists of processes that are not considered in Equations 9 to 12, such as air-sea CO2 exchange.
All calculated variables derived from Equations 11 to 13 were depth-integrated (trapezoid) in the SL.
3.2.4 Calculations of N*
The semiconservative tracer N* (mmol m−3) identifies deviations from conservative behavior between nitrogen and PO43 concentrations according to Equation 14 (
4 Results
4.1 Physical and chemical properties
In 2012, the salinity of the SL was the lowest, extending down to a salinity of around 24, whereas the lowest salinity in SL in 2016 was around 27 (Figure 2A). The warmest and freshest SL was found in DS in 2012 (Figure 2B). This coincided with the lowest δ18O values of less than −6‰ (Figure 2C). In 2012, the CHL, the potential temperature (θ), and salinity properties were generally similar between the NEGS and the DS. However, the minimum θ was observed on the NEGS in 2016, whereas the DS was warmer in the DS in the same year (Figures 2A, B). δ18O values also clearly differed between the water layers, where the lowest δ18O was found in the SL in 2012 (Figure 2C), increasing to the CHL with δ18O values between −3 and −1‰. The AW contained the largest δ18O values (~0.5‰) and was similar in both years and areas (Figure 2C).
Vertical and horizontal patterns in the variables were similar between the 2 years except for more distinct gradients in the SL in 2012 (Figures 3A-F). The effect of summer warming and freshening in SL was largest in 2012 (T = +2°C) and extended down to 40 m at the 79NG front (Figures 3A, C). Below the SL, the CHL had near-freezing temperatures (T<0°C) with a salinity of approximately 32.5 in both 2012 and 2016 (Figures 3C, D). Below CHL, relatively high S and T water extended to the bottom, which indicated the influence of AW (Figures 3A-D). δ18O values increased with depth, and toward the sill (−0.4‰) to the NEGS, and varied between the 2 years, with lowest values near the 79NG front down to −8.6‰ and −5‰ in 2012 and 2016, respectively (Figures 3E, F and Table S1).
Figure 3

Section plots in the water column of temperature (T, °C), practical salinity (S), δ18O (‰), nitrate ([NO3-]), mmol m−3, phosphate ([PO43-]), mmol m−3, and silicic acid ([Si(OH)4], mmol m−3, z-axis) concentrations from the 79NG front (distance 0 km) in Dijmphna Sound (DS) to the Northeast Greenland shelf (NEGS) in 2012 (A, C, E, G, I, K) and 2016 (B, D, F, H, J, L). The white shaded area in (F) and (H) indicates no data. The bottom depths at stations near the sill (2012: #39, 40, 42, 2016: #26) were between 105 and 159 m and located between 60 to 70 km from the glacier front (79NG front).
[NO3−] was depleted in the SL and [PO43−] varied between near depletion and 0.63 mmol m−3 and [Si(OH)4] varied between near depletion and 2 mmol m−3 in both years near the 79NG front and the outer (stations) of DS and NEGS (Figures 3G–L and Table S1). Maximum concentrations of [NO3−] and [PO43−] of 13 mmol m−3 and 1 mmol m−3, respectively, were found in the AW in DS and NEGS (Figures 3G, H and Table S1).
AT and DIC values were lowest in the SL, gradually increasing with depth (Figures 4A-D). The lowest AT and DIC values in both years were observed near the 79NG front, increasing toward the sill and NEGS (Figures 4A–D and Table S1). Large DIC values >2,160 µmol kg-1 were observed below 200 m to the bottom in the DS and on the NEGS, most evident in 2016 (Figure 4D). In both years, fCO2 was undersaturated relative to atmospheric values (~415 µatm, Ny-Ålesund Zeppelin station) in the whole water column (Figures 4E, F). In 2012, the lowest fCO2 of 138 µatm was found in the SL at the 79NG front compared with the lowest fCO2 of 269 µatm in 2016 in SL (Figures 4E, F, Table S1). Generally, the surface fCO2 increased from the 79NG front toward the sill and further onto the NEGS, especially in 2012. The large differences in fCO2 were also reflected in the variability of pHT, where the highest pHT of 8.37 was observed in 2012 by the 79NG front and the corresponding pHT in 2016 of 8.16 (Figures 4G, H and Table S1).
Figure 4

Section plots of chemical parameters in the water column of total alkalinity (AT, µmol kg−1), total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC, µmol kg−1), pHT, fugacity of carbon dioxide (fCO2, µatm), and aragonite saturation (ΩArMEAS), from the 79NG front (distance 0 km) in Dijmphna Sound (DS) to the Northeast Greenland shelf (NEGS) in 2012 (A, C, E, G, I) and 2016 (B, D, F, H, J). The bottom depths at stations near the sill (2012: #39, 40, 42, 2016: #26) were between 105 and 159 m and located between 60 and 70 km from the glacier front (79NG front).
The ΩAr values (Figures 4I, J) and ΩCa (i.e., calcite, Table S1, around one unit higher relative to ΩAr) were highest in the relatively fresh surface at the 79NG front in both years, particularly evident in 2012 (Figure 4J and Table S1). In 2012, ΩAr varied in the water column between 1.13 in DS and 1.75 in the SL near the 79NG. In the SL on the NEGS, ΩAr was 1.22–1.53 (Figure 4I and Table S1). In 2016, ΩAr varied less throughout the water column than in 2012 and ranged between 1.23 and 1.44 (Figure 4J and Table S1). The CHL had the lowest ΩAr values (<1.15) in the DS and at the 79NG front and were similar in both years (Figure 4J).
4.2 Freshwater fractions and alkalinity endmembers
There was a large difference in FGM and FSIM in SL between the 2 years (Figures 5A-D). In 2012, the largest FGM (>0.2) was found at the 79NG front and was insignificant on the NEGS (Figure 5A). FSIM was largest at the outer DS and on the NEGS (FSIM >0.1, Figure 5C). In 2016, FGM was lower than 0.1 (Figure 5B) and FSIM was<0.06 (Figure 5D).
Figure 5

The distribution of glacial meltwater fractions (FGM) and sea-ice meltwater fractions (FSIM) in 2012 (A, C) and in 2016 (B, D) from the 79NG front (distance 0 km) in Dijmphna Sound (DS) to the Northeast Greenland shelf (NEGS). The dark-blue area on the NEGS in 2016 indicates no data.
In SL in DS in 2012 and 2016, the ATFWEM values were 467 ± 18 µmol kg−1 (n = 48) and 411 ± 14 µmol kg−1 (n = 30), respectively (Figure 6A). On the NEGS, ATFWEM in SL in both years (not shown) were lower than in DS, with an ATFWEM of 299 ± 15 µmol kg−1 in 2012 (n = 29) and 336 ± 12 µmol kg−1 (n = 8) in 2016. The ATFWEM 2016 values on the NEGS were based on eight values so they should be taken with caution.
Figure 6

Linear relationships between (A) total alkalinity (AT, µmol kg−1) and practical salinity to derive AT in freshwater end members (ATFWEM, intercept at y-axis) in two layers for the 2 years; surface layer (SL<50 m, in 2012, blue open circles, ATSL2012 = 54.289xS + 467, R2 = 0.99, n = 55), in 2016, black cross, ATSL2016 = 46.48xS + 411.08, R2 = 0.97, n = 29; in cold halocline layer (CHL) (2012, orange open circles, ATCHL2012 = 27.4xS + 1338, R2 = 0.96, n = 29), in 2016, yellow cross, ATCHL2016 = 20.78xS + 1555, R2 = 0.90, n = 24). R2 denotes the coefficient of determination. Linear relationship on the NEGS (not shown in figure) as follows: ATSL2012 = 59.885xS + 299.31, R² = 0.977; ATSL2016 = 59.646xS + 330.32, R² = 0.9766, ATCHL2012 = 26.043xS + 1376.3, R² = 0.9151, ATCHL2016 = 16.875xS + 1696.7, R² = 0.9452. The variability (B) of the semiconservative tracer N* (color bar, mmol m−3) overlaid with values and contours of carbon dioxide concentration (CO2, µmol kg−1) from the 79NG front to the NEGS in 2012.
The ATFWEM values were 1,338 ± 6 µmol kg−1 (n = 33) and 1,555 ± 6 µmol kg−1 (n = 24) in 2012 and 2016, correspondingly, in the CHL in DS. On the NEGS, the CHL ATFWEM were 1,361 ± 6 µmol kg−1 (in 2012, n = 21) and 1,686 ± 3 µmol kg−1 (in 2016, n = 6), hence higher in 2016 but estimated with limited number of data points, which may bias the ATFWEM estimate.
N* in SL and in the AW was positive and negative in the CHL (Figure 6B). The most negative N* of −10 µmol L−1) coincided with the highest CO2 concentration (>24 µmol kg−1) observed in the CHL, most pronounced on the NEGS (Figure 6B). This indicates that the CHL contained water with a deficit of [NO3−] relative to [PO43−] as a result of denitrification.
4.3 Effects of drivers
4.3.1 Freshening and primary production
The ΩArFW (decreasing ΩAr) and ΩArBIO (increasing ΩAr) had almost counteracting effects on ΩArMEAS with increased FWTOT (Equation 2; Figures 7A, B). It is clear that both ΩArFW and ΩArBIO had a large impact counteracting each other (Figures 7A, B). ΩArFW had a larger impact on ΩArMEAS than ΩArBIO in both years, and most evident in 2016. In 2012, most of the ΩArFW was compensated by ΩArBIO, whereas in 2016, ΩArFW dominated. There were clear differences between the 2 years in ΔΩArFW, in both magnitude and the distribution in the water column along the section (Figures 8A, B). The largest decrease (negative) of approximately 0.4 in ΩAr caused by freshening was observed in 2012 in the SL near the 79NG front (Figure 8A). However, unexpectedly, this was where the highest ΩArMEAS was observed (Figure 4I), concurrently with the largest ΔΩArFW, indicating that ΔΩArBIO compensated the negative effects of ΔΩArFW, as observed also in Figure 7A. In 2012, the ΔΩArFW effect was three times higher than in 2016 where SL was less stratified than was observed in 2012 (Figure 8B). In 2012, the largest ΩAr increase due to ΔΩArBIO of up to 0.6 was, similar to ΔΩArFW, found at the 79NG front (Figure 8C). In 2016, high ΔΩArBIO values of 0.5 and 0.3 were only found at two stations around 20 km and 60 km from the 79NG front, respectively (Figure 8D). On the NEGS, the increase in ΩArMEAS by ΔΩArBIO was at most 0.3 in 2012 and 0.1 in 2016 (Figure 8D).
Figure 7

Aragonite saturation (ΩAr, y-axis) against total freshwater content (FWTOT, x-axis) obtained from AT and DIC (ΩArMEAS, black open circles, black regression line), the aragonite saturation due to the freshwater effect (ΩArFW, blue crosses, blue regression line), and the aragonite saturation due to the effect of biological CO2 drawdown (ΩArBIO, green pyramids, green regression line) for (A) 2012 and (B) 2016. Results of linear regression are shown in the legend and are for 2012: (ΩArBIO = 1.3579x FWTOT + 1.5048, R² = 0.2814; ΩArFW = −1.4761x FWTOT + 1.5168, R² = 0.5373; ΩArMEAS = −0.1828x FWTOT + 1.5004, R² = 0.0067) and for 2016: (ΩArBIO = 1.3959x FWTOT + 1.3787, R² = 0.1701; ΩArMEAS = −1.349x FWTOT + 1.4757, R² = 0.5081; ΩArFW = −1.4077x FWTOT + 1.3512, R² = 0.8339).
Figure 8

Change in ΔΩAr due to freshwater (ΔΩArFW) and biological CO2 drawdown (ΔΩArBIO) in 2012 (A, C) and in 2016 (B, D) in the upper 50 m. Positive values denote ΩAr increase and negative values indicate a decrease in ΩAr compared with the reference water ΩArREF.
4.3.2 Air-sea exchange and calcium carbonate dissolution
The integrated ΔATDIFF and ΔDICDIFF (Equation 11) were generally positive (gain) in both years (Figures 9A, B) and in 2012 twice as large as in 2016. The positive ΔATDIFF and ΔDICDIFF suggested a net addition of AT or DIC. Near the 79NG front, the ΔATDIFF and ΔATGLAC (Equation 12) were almost of the same magnitude in both 2012 and 2016, suggesting that most of the ΔATDIFF can be explained by glacial water-transported carbonate minerals or sea-ice-derived ikaite (Figures 9A, B). In DS, sill, and on the NEGS, ΔATDIFF and ΔATGLAC clearly differed up to 1.5 mol C m-2, particularly observed in 2012 (Figure 9A), implying other effects than dissolved carbonate minerals. The ΔDICGLAC explained around half of the ΔDICDIFF at 79NG and in the DS in 2012.
Figure 9

The integrated (trapezoidal) change in AT and DIC (mol C m−2) in the surface layer (SL) from the 79NG front to the Northeast Greenland shelf (NEGS) shown as ΔDICDIFF (black), ΔATDIFF (orange), ΔATGLAC (gray), ΔDICGLAC (yellow), and DICREST (blue) in (A) 2012 and (B) in 2016. Positive values denote a gain and negative values denotes a loss of AT or DIC. The error bars indicate the uncertainty based on cumulative error from the analytical precision in the measured parameters ( ± 0.14 mol C m−2).
In 2012, the ΔDICREST (Equation 13) was generally positive, with a maximum of 2.5 mol C m−2 suggesting a DIC gain from ocean CO2 uptake (Figure 9A). In 2016, the ΔDICREST varied between being a loss of DIC (ocean CO2 source) near the 79NG front and sill and a DIC gain (ocean CO2 uptake) in the DS (Figure 9B).
The [CO32−] related to salinity (S) in DS were generally 10–20 µmol kg−1 higher in 2012 than those in 2016 (Figure 10A). In 2016, the DS values were similar to those on the NEGS (Figure 10A). This suggests that the waters in the DS in 2016 were more influenced by water from the NEGS than in 2012. In 2016, the low AT:S (<70) at high δ18O (>−4‰) in the DS indicated more seawater influence (AT:S of 67;
Figure 10

(A) Carbonate ion concentration ([CO32−], µmol kg−1) versus practical salinity for Dijmphna Sound (DS) in 2012 (DS 2012, yellow open circles) and in 2016 (DS 2016, closed black circles), and on the Northeast Greenland shelf (NEGS) in 2012 (NEGS 2012, black cross) and in 2016 (NEGS 2016, black open circles). (B) Salinity and total alkalinity ratio (AT:S, y-axis) versus δ18O (‰, x-axis). (C) ΔATDIFF (µmol kg−1) versus δ18O (‰, x-axis). (D) ΔDICDIFF (µmol kg−1) versus δ18O (‰, x-axis). (E) ΔATDIFF (µmol kg−1, y-axis) versus ΔDICDIFF (µmol kg−1, x-axis). The dashed ovals on (D) show data points deviating from the regression line. For symbol references see (A). Figures (B–D) show regression lines to indicate deviations and refer to the following, DS 2012 (yellow); DS 2016 (black); and NEGS 2012 (black dashed). Black arrows in (E) denote the effect of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) dissolution and air-sea CO2 exchange on ΔATDIFF and ΔDICDIFF.
Relations between ΔATDIFF and δ18O and between ΔDICDIFF and δ18O showed increasing ΔATDIFF and ΔDICDIFF with decreasing δ18O (Figures 10C, D). Deviations from the linear relation at ΔATDIFF vs. ΔDICDIFF indicated that processes resulted in both a loss and a gain, such as air-sea CO2 exchange and CaCO3 dissolution/precipitation (Figure 10E). ΔATDIFF values above the regression line indicated the contribution of [CO32−], adding to AT of up to 70 µmol kg−1 (Figure 10E). ΔDICDIFF values below the regression line indicated ocean CO2 uptake (increasing DIC but not AT) from the atmosphere up to 50 µmol kg−1 (Figure 10E).
5 Discussion
5.1 Comparison with other Arctic fjords and shelves
Spitsbergen and southern Greenland fjords are experiencing changes in ocean chemistry due to freshening from glacial meltwater and sea-ice melt (e.g.,
In our study, ΩAr in the SL in DS was oversaturated (ΩAr >1) and varied between 1.13 and 1.63 in 2012 and between 1.27 and 1.43 in 2016 (Table S2).
On the West Spitsbergen shelf, calcium carbonate dissolution contributed to a DIC increase of between 0.1 and 0.55 mol C m−2 in the upper 50 m from January to August based on a similar method as here (
The ΔATGLAC varied between 2.6 mol C m−2 at the 79NG front and 0.9 mol C m−2 on the NEGS (Figure 9A) in our study. Correspondingly in 2016, the ΔATGLAC varied between 0.5 mol C m−2 (NEGS) and 1.2 mol C m−2 in the DS (Figure 9B). In 2012 in DS, the relation between AT:S and δ18O showed that δ18O values lower than −2‰ (−3 to −9‰) corresponded to AT:S between 70 and 75.5 (Figure 10B), which has also been observed in Tempelfjorden near the glacier front (
ATFWEM in SL on the NEGS was (299−336 µmol kg-1), which was lower than in DS (411–467 µmol kg−1). Sea-ice meltwater in our study area had an AT value of around 150 µmol kg−1, measured in melted sea ice in western Fram Strait (
The Arctic rivers contribute substantially to AT in CHL with reported AT values of Arctic rivers varying between 1,000 and 1,500 µmol kg−1 (e.g.,
ΔDICREST (Equation 13) indicated the contribution of air-sea CO2 exchange to the DIC change, where the positive values in large parts in DS in 2012 denoted a gain in DIC due to ocean CO2 uptake (Figure 9A). In 2012, the ΔDICREST was maximum 2.5 mol C m−2 (Figure 9A).
Both years had surface fCO2 values that were lower than the atmospheric CO2 level of 415 µatm (Ny-Ålesund, Zeppelin Mountain), most pronounced in 2012 where fCO2 was as low as around 140 µatm at the 79NG front and around 250 µatm on the NEGS (Figure 4E). In 2016, fCO2 was around 275−300 µatm throughout the section (Figure 4F). Undersaturated surface fCO2 was caused by both PP and meltwater and resulted in a capacity to take up atmospheric CO2, particularly in 2012. Meire et al. (2015) also found surface fCO2 (i.e., pCO2 in their study) values in August between 100 µatm and 120 µatm at the inner fjord near the GrIS, which is similar to our values in 2012 at 79NG front. Meire et al. (2015) explained the low fCO2 caused by high glacial meltwater input and PP during the summer months. In Tempelfjorden (W. Spitsbergen), the lowest surface fCO2 was 140 µatm in summer (
5.2 Uncertainty
Contribution of organic acids to AT in coastal areas, fjords, and estuaries usually results in high AT at low salinities (
Carbonate minerals in the SL water samples, derived from the bedrock (e.g., calcite, dolomite) or sea ice (e.g., ikaite), can be dissolved during analyses. This can give an increase in AT relative to S, and we investigated the deviation (excess AT) in the AT–S relationship (Figure 10E). On a few occasions in our study, we observed deviation in AT from S coinciding with a positive ATGLAC (Figure 9) particularly evident near the 79NG front, which is considered in our approach.
The effect of different C:P ratios on ΔDICBIO is directly proportional to the change in the ratio. Studies have shown large C:P variability connected to temporal and spatial variability, physical and chemical processes, and the stage and type of bloom (
5.3 Future perspective and climate change
Ongoing warming and increased meltwater due to climate change will impact drivers and OA. Recently, melting of glacial ice has been reported due to the increasing presence and warming of Atlantic water (Atlantification) by marine-terminating glaciers in northeast Greenland fjords (
Another possibility, similar to the situation in 2016, is when NEGS water was prominent in DS with relatively low ΩAr (<1.4) in SL and down to<1.2 in the CHL. Since this water was mixed in the water column, calcifying organisms have less possibility to escape unfavorable ΩAr conditions, as was discussed in
Increased glacial melt of the GrIS was measured as the increased net ablation of 2.2 m + 17% (anomaly) between January and August 2022 measured at Kronprins Christian Land station on northeast Greenland (
6 Conclusion
In this study, we found that the combined effects of glacial and sea-ice meltwater dilution resulted in enhanced ocean acidification in the Dijmphna Sound and Northeast Greenland shelf. However, in summer low aragonite saturation state was compensated by biological CO2 drawdown, most evident at the 79NG front in 2012. This was potentially caused by meltwater-induced surface stratification leading to favorable conditions for phytoplankton blooms. Surface waters were undersaturated in fCO2 relative to the atmospheric fCO2 level with relatively large undersaturation near the 79NG calving front, suggesting a large potential for uptake of atmospheric CO2 during the ice-free season. The low fCO2 was mainly a result of a combination of biological CO2 uptake and dilution due to freshwater. However, so far, there is limited knowledge about seasonal and interannual variability of the drivers and the effects on the ocean acidification in North Greenland fjords. Another observational challenge is the different characteristics in sill depth, bedrock composition, sea-ice cover, and biogeochemistry of fjords and coastal systems.
In a future climate of warming and freshening from increased supply of glacial meltwater and subglacial meltwater, the negative effect (lowering ΩAr) on ΩAr may surpass the positive effect (increases ΩAr) due to primary production causing a net ΩAr decrease. Apart from biological processes and freshening, other processes such as physical upwelling of CO2-rich subsurface waters also decrease ΩAr. These processes will become affected in a case of warming, increased freshwater addition, and changes in sea-ice cover and extent, which will all impose feedbacks on ocean acidification.
Changes in carbonate chemistry toward more corrosive ΩAr conditions have been observed in the Arctic Ocean and on the ice shelves, related to the loss of sea ice and increased ocean CO2 uptake (
Statements
Data availability statement
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors upon request.
Author contributions
AF: Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition Data curation, Writing – original draft review and editing. MC: Conceptualization, Investigation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition Data curation, Writing – original draft review and editing. MG: Investigation, – review and editing. PD: Investigation, Data curation. CS: Investigation, Data curation, -review and editing. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.
Funding
This work was supported by the Fram Centre Ocean Acidification Flagship at the FRAM - High North Research Centre for Climate and the Environment, and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 820989 (project COMFORT), the Ministry of Climate and Environment, and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Norway.
Acknowledgments
We are grateful for the support onboard the R/V Lance with Captain and crew for technical and logistic support during the two expeditions. We also thank the Norwegian Polar Institute logistics in Longyearbyen for logistic support and safety training. We are grateful for the constructive comments from reviewers that greatly improved the manuscript. Data will be publicly available at Norwegian Polar Data Centre at the time of publication.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Supplementary material
The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2023.1155126/full#supplementary-material
Supplementary Figure 1The ΩAr values (A) and (B) the difference between ΩAr calculated from the carbonic constants K1 and K2 estimated by
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Summary
Keywords
Dijmphna Sound, Nioghalvfjerdsbræ, Arctic fjord, total alkalinity, biogeochemical processes, polar water, nutrients, aragonite saturation
Citation
Fransson A, Chierici M, Granskog MA, Dodd PA and Stedmon CA (2023) Impacts of glacial and sea-ice meltwater, primary production, and ocean CO2 uptake on ocean acidification state of waters by the 79 North Glacier and northeast Greenland shelf. Front. Mar. Sci. 10:1155126. doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1155126
Received
31 January 2023
Accepted
16 August 2023
Published
20 October 2023
Volume
10 - 2023
Edited by
Michele Giani, National Institute of Oceanography and Experimental Geophysics, Italy
Reviewed by
Gianmarco Ingrosso, National Research Council (CNR), Italy; Maribel I. García-Ibáñez, Spanish National Research Council (ICM-CSIC), Spain
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Copyright
© 2023 Fransson, Chierici, Granskog, Dodd and Stedmon.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Agneta Fransson, agneta.fransson@npolar.no
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