This project aims to describe how runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet effects the marine ecosystem near Ilulissat Ice Fjord on to the Disco Bay. Seasonal runoff from the Greenland Ice Sheet results in large summer freshwater input to the coastal marine environment. The freshwater input influences the physical features of greenlandic fjords and coastal zone oceanography with potential consequences for the biological processes in the area. The presence of glacial melt water has been shown to influence both primary and secondary producers in Godthåbsfjord Sw Greenland and Young Sound in NE Greenland. Increasing evidence thus suggests that rapid increase in the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet could directly influence several components of the coastal ecosystem and thus may be an important driver of ecosystem change.

PI: Kristine Arendt

Place: Ilulissat Ice Fjord 6-11 July 2017

Link to Isaaffik website