Abstract Project: KOP181


From land to sea: Identifying and quantifying weathering fluxes from glaciated catchments to the ocean in the Kongsfjorden Bay

Katja Laufer-Meiser (GEOMAR)

In this project, we intend to continue investigating the land-sediment-ocean system of polar fjords with the aim of understanding chemical weathering and diagenetic processes involved in element cycling and supply to the ocean as nutrients and pollutants. We use a multi-proxy geochemical-microbiological approach to identify element release mechanisms and fluxes by investigating meltwater and seawater as well as terrestrial and marine sediments. We will analyze element concentrations including Hg and isotope ratios (Sr, Li, Si), and study the microbial community involved in the turnover and release of Fe, P and Si in sediments. The study will provide new insight into the response of (microbially aided) chemical and physical weathering processes within the proglacial zone of glaciated catchments and marine sediments under a changing Arctic climate.


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