A Genetic View into Past Sea Ice Variability in the Arctic (AGENSI)

Source:
Andreas Wolden

Andreas Wolden

Source:
Andreas Wolden

From the Arctic sea

Arctic sea ice decline is the exponent of the rapidly transforming Arctic climate. The ensuing local and global implications can be understood by studying past climate transitions, yet few methods are available to examine past Arctic sea ice cover, severely restricting our understanding of sea ice in the climate system. The decline in Arctic sea ice cover is a ‘canary in the coalmine’ for the state of our climate, and if greenhouse gas emissions remain unchecked, summer sea ice loss may pass a critical threshold that could drastically transform the Arctic.

Because historical observations are limited, it is crucial to have reliable proxies for assessing natural sea ice variability, its stability and sensitivity to climate forcing on different time scales. Current proxies address aspects of sea ice variability, but are limited due to a selective fossil record, preservation effects, regional applicability, or being semi-quantitative. With such restraints on our knowledge about natural variations and drivers, major uncertainties about the future remain.

We propose to develop and apply a novel sea ice proxy that exploits genetic information stored in marine sediments, sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA). This innovation uses the genetic signature of phytoplankton communities from surface waters and sea ice as it gets stored in sediments. This wealth of information has not been explored before for reconstructing sea ice conditions.

Source:
Stijn De Schepper

Collecting samples from the Arctic sea ice.

Preliminary results from our cross-disciplinary team indicate that our unconventional approach can provide a detailed, qualitative account of past sea ice ecosystems and quantitative estimates of sea ice parameters. We will address fundamental questions about past Arctic sea ice variability on different timescales, information essential to provide a framework upon which to assess the ecological and socio-economic consequences of a changing Arctic.

This new proxy is not limited to sea ice research and can transform the field of paleoceanography.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 818449.

Contact

Stijn De Schepper

Research Professor - Bergen

stde@norceresearch.no
+47 56 10 75 50

Project facts

Name

A Genetic View into Past Sea Ice Variability in the Arctic

Status

Active

Duration

01.08.19 - 31.07.24

Location

Bergen

Total budget

22.500.000 NOK

Project website

https://www.agensi.eu/

Research areas

Climate

Research group

Molecular Ecology and Paleogenomics - MEP

Ocean Observations

Research Topics

Climate transitions

Funding

EC/H2020

Prosjekteier

NORCE

Project members

Stijn De Schepper

Jessica Louise Ray

Aud Larsen

Katrine Sandnes Skaar

Dag Inge Blindheim

Kristine Steinsland

Danielle M. Grant

Umer Zeeshan Ijaz

Ruediger Stein

Samarbeidspartnere

University of Glasgow, Universität Bremen, Alfred-Wegener-Institut für Polar- und Meeresforschung

Publications

The DNA of (past) sea ice – De Schepper, Stijn. 2023, . NORCE.

SedDNA in Polar Paleoceanography – De Schepper, Stijn. 2023, . NORCE.

Sea ice variability in the North Atlantic subpolar gyre throughout the last interglacial – Steinsland, Kristine; Grant, Danielle; Ninnemann, Ulysses S; Fahl, Kirsten; Stein, Ruediger; De Schepper, Stijn. 2023, Quaternary Science Reviews. NORCE, UIB, AWI, UB, OUC.

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A Genetic View into Past Sea Ice Variability in the Arctic (AGENSI)

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Project facts

Name

Status

Duration

Location

Total budget

Project website

Research areas

Research group

Research Topics

Funding

Prosjekteier

Project members

Samarbeidspartnere

Contact

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