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Glaciers and Nutrients in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago Marine System
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  • Maya P Bhatia,
  • Stephanie Waterman,
  • David Burgess,
  • Patrick Williams,
  • Randelle M Bundy,
  • Travis Mellett,
  • Megan Roberts,
  • Erin Bertrand
Maya P Bhatia
University of Alberta

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Stephanie Waterman
University of British Columbia
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David Burgess
Geological Survey of Canada
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Patrick Williams
University of Alberta
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Randelle M Bundy
University of Washington
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Travis Mellett
University of Washington
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Megan Roberts
Dalhousie University
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Erin Bertrand
Dalhousie University
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Abstract

The Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) is vulnerable to climate warming, and with over 300 tidewater glaciers, is a hotspot for enhanced glacial retreat and meltwater runoff to the ocean. In contrast to Greenlandic and Antarctic systems, CAA glaciers and their impact on the marine environment remain largely unexplored. Here we investigate how CAA glaciers impact nutrient delivery to surface waters. We compare water column properties in the nearshore coastal zone along a continuum of locations, spanning those with glaciers (glacierized) to those without (non-glacierized), in Jones Sound, eastern CAA. We find that surface waters of glacierized regions contain significantly more macronutrients (nitrogen, silica, phosphorus) and micronutrients (iron, manganese) than their non-glacierized counterparts. Water column structure and chemical composition suggest that macronutrient enrichments are a result of upwelling induced by rising submarine discharge plumes, while micronutrient enrichments are driven directly by glacial discharge. Generally, the strength of upwelling and associated macronutrient delivery scales with tidewater discharge volume. Glacier-driven delivery of the limiting macronutrient, nitrate, is of particular importance for local productivity, while metal delivery may have consequences for regional micronutrient cycling given Jones Sound’s important role in modifying water masses flowing into the North Atlantic. Finally, we use the natural variability in glacier characteristics observed in Jones Sound to consider how nutrient delivery may be affected as glaciers retreat. The impacts of melting glaciers on marine ecosystems through both these mechanisms will likely be amplified with increased meltwater fluxes in the short-term, but eventually muted as CAA ice masses diminish.
Aug 2021Published in Global Biogeochemical Cycles volume 35 issue 8. 10.1029/2021GB006976