Dissolved organic matter in newly formed sea ice and surface seawater

Abstract

Changes in sea ice in the Arctic will have ramifications on regional and global carbon cycling. Research to date has primarily focused on the regional impacts to biological activity and global impacts on atmospheric processes. The current project considers the molecular-level composition of organic carbon within sea ice compared to the organic matter in seawater. The project revealed that the composition of organic matter within sea ice was more variable than the composition of organic matter within the surface ocean. Furthermore, sea ice samples presented two distinct patterns in the composition of organic matter with a portion of the sea ice samples containing protein-like organic matter. Yet, the samples were collected in the early winter period when little biological activity is expected. Thus, one hypothesis is that physical processes acting during the formation of sea ice selectively transferred organic matter from seawater into sea ice. The present project expands our understanding of dissolved organic matter in sea ice and surface seawater and thereby increases our knowledge of carbon cycling in polar regions.