Microbial life of Sea ice Habitats Investigated For The Arctic

Unprecedented warming in the Arctic is threatening microorganisms of the sea ice biome that support life in the marine ecosystem and influence atmosphere-ocean interactions of climate relevant gases, like CO2.

Yet, characterisation of sea ice biodiversity, an index of system susceptibility to environmental change, and its productivity, are dangerously incomplete.

These shortcomings largely stem from the biome’s complexity, which is a dynamic relation of several microhabitats, and an oversimplified focus on photosynthetic activity in only a subset of all microhabitats present.

My pilot research indicates these deficiencies likely misrepresent the biome’s resilience to warming and its function as an autotrophic carbon source in the Arctic Ocean.Micro-SHIFT tests this hypothesis by targeting critical knowledge gaps on microbial diversity and production for the range of microhabitats truly comprising the sea ice biome.

In doing so, it defines the contribution of sea ice to Arctic marine biodiversity and production, and addresses uncertainties highlighted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The multidisciplinary project traverses microbiology, geography, and biogeochemistry.

It uses novel innovations for sampling microhabitats in targeted field campaigns and laboratory experiments to identify the biome’s resiliency. Together, these breakthroughs enable modelling that completely accounts for biome productivity, now and in the future. Micro-SHIFT would be the first holistic project considering all sea ice microhabitats together.

It is an ambitious task, but one that I am ideally suited for with 10+ years of sea ice experience.

In this time, I have laid the foundations to accomplish project objectives: developing essential O2-based approaches and completing pilot studies that build best practices.

Project outcomes will transform our view of the sea ice biome, revealing how we can expect this fragile system to change as the Arctic continues to warm.