THAWING is an interdisciplinary research project investigating how warmer Atlantic waters affect glaciers, sea ice and marine ecosystems along the northern coast of Greenland. Using expedition data and long-term sediment records, the project examines changes in the Arctic’s so-called Last Ice Area in a climate perspective.

Melting glaciers carry more than water, but where does it all end up? Arctic fjords sit at a crossroads. As glaciers retreat, they expose new seafloor that may lock away carbon, a rare natural brake on warming. But meltwater also flushes organic matter and carbon into the ocean, where its breakdown can acidify the water and release greenhouse gases. Understanding which force dominates, and why, is the central question of GREENCARB.

The Arctic Ocean is warming at an alarming rate and Arctic sea ice extent is at an all-time low. How will these drastic changes impact future Arctic marine ecosystems and what are the ocean-climate driving mechanisms that we must look out for to warn of a future change?