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Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
As part of the EU project ECOTIP, an international team of researchers, including the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, has analyzed the sea off Greenland more comprehensively than ever before. The key question: How is the area developing in the face of climate change and environmental pollution? Most of the samples were examined in the Hereon laboratories. The results are alarming. For example, the sea still contains lead from additives in gasoline, even though these have been forbidden for around 30 years. The study, in which the Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IOPAN) also participated, has now been published in the journal Biogeosciences.
In the oceans, nutrients, dissolved carbon dioxide, and trace elements form the basis of the food chain and are essential for many natural processes. Human-induced climate change has a significant impact on this marine chemistry. For example, excess nutrients from farmland enter the sea via rivers, and industry also releases new types of substances, some of which are toxic. This can have negative consequences for ecosystems worldwide.
Measurements in all depth
To find out how much humans are changing this foundation of life in the oceans, a team of international researchers in the EU project ECOTIP has been conducting intensive research off the west coast of Greenland. ECOTIP stands for “Arctic biodiversity change and its consequences: Assessing, monitoring, and predicting the effects of ecosystem tipping cascades on marine ecosystem services and dependent human systems.” The expedition was organized by the National Institute of Aquatic Resources at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU Aqua) and carried out using the Danish research vessel Dana. Many international project partners were involved.
The Arctic is a particular focus when it comes to the consequences of climate change, because it is warming much faster than the rest of the Earth. The team took water samples from over 30 locations, from the surface to depths of several hundred meters. Scientists from the Hereon Institute of Carbon Cycles Science analyzed hundreds of these samples for the presence of chemical substances. They used methods that can detect even the finest traces of certain substances.
The legacy of the lead era
Lead stood out among the pollutants measured. Lead was added to gasoline until the 1990s, releasing large quantities into the environment. Air currents carried it from densely populated regions of the world to the Arctic. As the results show, high concentrations of lead can still be detected there – especially in southern Greenland, which is closer to the US and Europe. “We have discovered that it can also be found further north,” says Hereon scientist and lead author Claudia Elena Schmidt. “It reaches there via ocean currents from the south. This example clearly illustrates how long such heavy metals remain in nature” – a warning for the future and for how we deal with today’s problematic substances.
Progressive acidification
The increase in the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) also affects the ocean. CO2 from the atmosphere dissolves in water and - simply explained - forms carbonic acid. This contributes to the acidification of the ocean. Ultimately, it triggers a chemical chain reaction that reduces the concentration of calcium carbonate in the water. Mussels and snails need calcium carbonate to build their shells and casings. The less of it there is in the water, the more energy the animals have to expend to filter it out of the sea. If acidification continues to progress, it can increasingly negatively affect the construction of their calcareous shells, their growth, and their reproduction. The data show that there is a clearly visible trend toward acidification in Arctic waters.
A rare snapshot
The results of the study provide a comprehensive snapshot of the state of the sea off Greenland and help to understand the impact of climate change on marine chemistry. “This has enabled us to close gaps in our knowledge, because many substances have not been measured there for decades,” emphasizes Claudia Elena Schmidt. “Metals, for example, were last studied in detail in the 1990s.”
Cutting-edge research for a changing world
Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon`s scientific research aims at preserving a world worth living in. To this end, around 1000 employees generate knowledge and research new technologies for greater resilience and sustainability - for the benefit of the climate, the coast and people. The path from idea to innovation leads through a continuous interplay between experimental studies, modeling and AI to digital twins that map the diverse parameters of climate and coast or human biology in the computer. This is an interdisciplinary approach that spans from the fundamental scientific understanding of complex systems to scenarios and practical applications. As an active member of national and international research networks and the Helmholtz Association, Hereon supports politics, business and society in shaping a sustainable future by transferring the expertise it has gained.
Claudia Elena Schmidt
Scientist
Hereon Institute of Carbon Cycles
Mail: claudia.schmidt@hereon.de
https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/22/7053/2025/
https://Institute of Carbon Cycles
https://www.hereon.de/institutes/carbon_cycles/index.php.en
https://EU project ECOTIP - Official website
https://ecotip-arctic.eu/
https://Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences (IO PAN)
https://www.iopan.pl/en/
The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the Earth and is therefore particularly vulnerable to ...
Source: Claudia Elena Schmidt
Copyright: Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
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The Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the Earth and is therefore particularly vulnerable to ...
Source: Claudia Elena Schmidt
Copyright: Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon
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