GREENCARB expedition investigates the fate of carbon in Greenland’s melting fjords

What happens to carbon when glaciers retreat? This is the central question for researchers heading to the fjords of south-east Greenland this week as part of the GREENCARB expedition.

From 26 August to 9 September, researchers from the Bolin Centre for Climate Research at Stockholm University will work aboard the research vessel RV Skagerak (University of Gothenburg), investigating how glacial meltwater affects carbon cycling, marine ecosystems and greenhouse-gas emissions.

Glacier retreat is rapidly transforming the Arctic landscape. As glaciers withdraw, new areas of seafloor are exposed. These newly exposed sediments may capture and store carbon, potentially creating a natural sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. At the same time, meltwater transports organic matter and carbon into the fjords. When this material is broken down, it can alter ocean chemistry and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions.

Photo: private

We are watching these glaciers change before our eyes, and we know this window won't stay open forever. What drives us is that we are not just tracking one parameter, we are bringing together many scientists looking at the same fjords from different angles, so that together we can tell the full story of what is happening.

The GREENCARB researchers will investigate which of these processes dominate across a natural gradient, from fjords fed by glaciers that still terminate in the ocean to areas where glaciers have already retreated onto land.

Following carbon from glaciers to the sea

During the expedition, the team will collect water samples, plankton and sediment cores across the fjords. By tracing the distribution of glacial meltwater, the researchers will examine its influence on primary production, ocean circulation, the mixing of different water masses and the exchange of greenhouse gases between the ocean and the atmosphere. The team will also collect sediment cores which preserve a record of past environmental conditions and will allow the researchers to reconstruct how fjord ecosystems and carbon cycling have changed as glaciers have retreated since the last Ice Age.
The expedition builds on fieldwork carried out in the region in 2024 and 2025. Those expeditions revealed that neighbouring fjords can differ substantially in their physical and biogeochemical characteristics, highlighting the importance of studying processes across a larger region and over longer timescales.

A young, interdisciplinary research team

The expedition brings together researchers working across several disciplines, including marine biogeochemistry, oceanography, geology, atmospheric and climate science. Many of the researchers on board are PhD students, postdocs and other early-career scientists. In addition to the on board team, the project involves many onshore scientists.

The project is supported by all four Bolin Centre Research Themes, reflecting the range of expertise needed to investigate the links between glaciers, oceans, ecosystems and the carbon cycle.

By bringing these different perspectives together in the field, the researchers can study the fjord system as a whole – from glacial meltwater and ocean circulation to sediments, biological production and greenhouse-gas exchange.

GREENCARB is a collaborative initiative led by researchers at Stockholm University’s Departments of Environmental Science and Geological Sciences. The expedition’s ship-time is funded by The Swedish Research Vessel Infrastructure for Marine Research (SWERVE), and the project is funded by additional support from the Department of Environmental Science (ACES), the Department of Geological Sciences and the Bolin Centre for Climate Research. RV Skagerak is managed by the University of Gothenburg.

The samples and data collected during this expedition, together with those from previous field cruises, will help to better understand how a rapidly changing Greenland ice sheet may affect the Arctic carbon cycle.

GREENCARB work packages. Illustration by the GREENCARB team

Learn more about the expedition

Contact information

Project manager: Julie Lattaud, Assistant professor at the Department of Environmental Science, julie.lattaud@aces.su.se
Press contact: Laila Islamovic, Communicator, Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Laila.islamovic@aces.su.se /072 444 35 25

Last updated: 2026-09-08

Source: Department of Environmental Science