The project, led by Dr. Jenny Gales, Associate Professor in Hydrography and Ocean Exploration at the University of Plymouth, seeks to unravel Antarctica's critical role as a carbon sink. Antarctica stores approximately 40% of anthropogenic carbon in the ocean, making it a key player in global carbon cycling.
Dr. Gales highlighted the significance of the research, stating, "Turbidity currents, also known as underwater avalanches, are natural hazards that can transport huge amounts of sediment that travel thousands of kilometres across the ocean. They can damage infrastructure, such as the underwater cabling that transports most of the world's internet, but are also of critical importance in the global carbon cycle. However, the exact scale of that is something of a mystery and through this project we hope to generate the first detailed understanding of how these currents take shape around Antarctica. Given its disproportionate role in the global climate, that information will be vital in helping us predict what might happen unless we take immediate action to halt the advance of climate change."
The ACE project is supported by a Pounds 2.4 million grant from the European Research Council under its Consolidator Grants program, part of the Horizon Europe initiative. These grants aim to empower scientists to build independent research teams and advance scientific innovation.
Dr. Gales is collaborating with an interdisciplinary team from institutions including the University of Gothenburg (Sweden), Northern Illinois University (USA), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (New Zealand), National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (Italy), The Australian National University (Australia), and the Alfred Wegener Institute (Germany).
Over the five-year study, the researchers will use scientific cruises to deploy autonomous underwater vehicles and monitoring equipment in Antarctic canyons. These tools will capture detailed, year-long observations of turbidity currents, while sediment traps will collect samples from the ocean floor for lab analysis. These efforts aim to quantify the organic carbon and materials carried by the currents.
The findings could enhance global carbon models and inform climate mitigation strategies by providing the first detailed insights into high-latitude turbidity currents' contributions to the global carbon cycle. Researchers also believe the project will redefine the understanding of how these processes operate in polar environments.
Related Links
University of Plymouth
Beyond the Ice Age
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