ASL’s Biological Oceanographer Dr. Julek Chawarski has successfully completed a research expedition to the glacial fjords along the southeast coast of Greenland, near the Ammassalik Archipelago. Aboard the 16-m research sailboat Atka, the team focused on glacial–ocean interactions in a region rarely explored by research vessels.

While most studies in the area concentrate on the massive Sermilik fjord system, home to the Helheim Glacier, the Atka‘s crew of five, including two scientists, conducted pioneering research in the surrounding, understudied fjords.

Chawarski, collaborating with a team of scientists from Stockholm University, aimed to investigate the heat flux of Atlantic water from the Irminger Sea and its impact on the melting of smaller outlet glaciers along the coastline.

Using the Atka‘s newly installed custom-built winch system, the team profiled over 14 km of the water column with a novel profiler package equipped with ASL’s latest instrument, the AZFP-nano. This advanced profiler was developed to measure a wide range of physical and biological parameters, including plankton biomass and distribution.

In addition to studying heat transfer to the Greenland ice sheet, the team sought to unravel the varying effects of meltwater on polar and subpolar plankton ecosystems. The magnitude of heat exchange and meltwater volume often depends on fjord morphology and glacier type.

By navigating the narrow coastal waterways, the team was able to study various glacier types, including floating and grounded marine-terminating glaciers and freshwater glaciers with riverine drainage into the ocean. By comparing the physical properties of meltwater and the associated plankton communities, scientists aim to better understand how marine ecosystems might respond to the accelerated melting of the Greenland ice cap.

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