3.6 Million Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide Could Be Bound in the Arctic Deep Sea by the Cross-shelf Transport of Carbon-rich Particles

The annual binding of up to 3.6 million metric tons of CO2 in the Arctic deep sea by the cross-shelf transport of carbon-rich particles from the Barents and Kara Seas could last for eons.

The biological carbon pump and ocean currents can be used in this area alone to absorb atmospheric CO2 on a scale comparable to Iceland's annual emissions, according to research.

Arctic carbon conveyor belt discovered

(Photo : Daiwei Lu/Unsplash)

The central Arctic Ocean's biological productivity is lower than that of other oceans because there aren't as many available nutrient sources and the sunlight is frequently in short supply due to the Polar Night or sea ice cover, as per ScienceDaily.

As a result, phytoplankton (microalgae) in the upper water layers have less access to energy than phytoplankton in other waters.

As a result, it came as a big surprise when, during the ARCTIC2018 expedition in August and September 2018, large amounts of particulate carbon-i.e., carbon stored in plant remains-were found in the Nansen Basin of the central Arctic on board the Russian research vessel Akademik Tryoshnikov.

Following analyses, it was discovered that a body of water made up of bottom water from the Barents Sea contained significant amounts of particulate carbon down to depths of up to two kilometers.

The latter results from the formation of sea ice in the winter, the subsequent sinking of cold, heavy water, and the flow of water from the shallow coastal shelf down the continental slope and into the deep Arctic Basin.

Our measurements revealed that, through this water-mass transport, more than 2,000 metric tons of carbon per day, or the equivalent of 8,500 metric tons of atmospheric CO2, flow into the Arctic deep sea.

Dr. Andreas Rogge, the first author of the Nature Geoscience study and an oceanographer at the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, explains that extrapolating to the total annual amount revealed even 13.6 million metric tons of CO2, which is on par with Iceland's total annual emissions (AWI).

This column of carbon-rich water extends from the shelf of the Barents and Kara Seas to the Arctic Basin, a distance of about 1,000 kilometers.

The Barents Sea, which is already recognized as the most productive marginal sea in the Arctic, would appear to effectively remove about 30% more carbon from the atmosphere than was previously thought.

Additionally, model-based simulations found that the outflow appears as seasonal pulses because phytoplankton can only absorb CO2 during the summer in the coastal waters of the Arctic.

Other, largely unexplored areas where bottom water forms and enters the deep sea can be found in the polar shelf seas.

Consequently, it can be assumed that this mechanism's global impact as a carbon sink is actually much greater.

Polar Meltdown in a World That Is Warming

The north and south polar regions of the planet are the Arctic and Antarctic. Being hostile, icy deserts with average winter temperatures of -40°C at the North Pole and -60°C at the South Pole, they stand out on our planet, as per Frontiers.

The polar regions endure months of total darkness in the winter, while the sun never sets in the summer.

There is a fundamental difference between the Arctic and Antarctic, despite the fact that both polar regions are cold and receive the same amount of sunlight annually.

The Southern Ocean encircles the ice-covered continent of Antarctica. Three continents-North America, Asia, and Europe-are located around the Arctic, which is mostly an ocean covered in sea ice.

Climate is impossible to perceive, feel, or quantify. The amount of Arctic sea ice is decreasing as a result of rising air and ocean temperatures brought on by change.

The size of western Europe is represented by the approximately 2.4 million square kilometers of Arctic sea ice that have melted over the past 30 years.

Despite the Arctic is an ocean, the sea ice behaves like a land surface, providing crucial habitat for many creatures like seals and polar bears.

Nearly 40% of the Arctic's total sea ice has disappeared since the 1970s, which means that both large and small animals that depend on it for shelter must find new homes before going extinct.

On the other hand, in the newly ice-free areas, certain fish species and algae known as phytoplankton can now flourish.