Ecosystem metabolism and nitrogen budget of a glacial fjord in the Arctic (Kongsfjorden)

Duarte, Pedro; Castro de la Guardia, Laura; Assmy, Philipp; Wold, Anette; Fransson, Agneta; Chierici, Melissa; Bailey, Allison; Hodson, Andrew; Alexander, Andreas; Magalhães, Catarina; Gabrielsen, Geir Wing; Albretsen, Jon; Frank, Lukas; Tripathy, Sarat Chandra; Smerdou, Carlos; Gordillo, Franciso J.L.; Cobos, Pablo; Velázquez, David; Convey, Peter ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8497-9903; De Rovere, Francesco; Hop, Haakon. 2025 Ecosystem metabolism and nitrogen budget of a glacial fjord in the Arctic (Kongsfjorden). Scientific Reports, 15 (22946). 17, pp. 10.1038/s41598-025-06953-3

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Official URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-06953-3

Abstract/Summary

Fjords in the Arctic are changing rapidly due to multiple factors including increasing air temperatures, the influx of Atlantic Water (Atlantification), sea-ice loss, retreat of tidewater glaciers, increased freshwater discharges, pollution and tourism. Understanding how these changes affect ecosystem processes and functions and, thus, services to society is critical. Net Ecosystem Metabolism (NEM) offers a holistic measure of ecosystem functioning and services, reflecting the balance between autotrophic and heterotrophic processes and the sink/source role of an ecosystem for nutrients and carbon. Using a 10-year dataset we quantify the main nutrient sources and sinks in Kongsfjorden (Svalbard) and estimate NEM using a method based on mixing diagrams combined with an ocean circulation model. We show that Kongsfjorden is a nutrient and carbon sink primarily supported by nutrient inputs from the adjacent shelf sea with terrestrial run-off playing a secondary role. Given the ongoing changes in the Arctic, driven by global warming and its associated effects, we recommend monitoring NEM as an integrated measure of the state of coastal ecosystems, considering the disproportionately large role of coastal regions in the global carbon budget.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1038/s41598-025-06953-3
ISSN:	0024-3590
Additional Keywords:	Net ecosystem metabolism, Glacial fjord, Nutrient sink/source, Marine endmembers, Freshwater endmembers, Kongsfjorden
Date made live:	08 Jul 2025 10:48 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537321

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1038/s41598-025-06953-3

ISSN:

0024-3590

Additional Keywords:

Net ecosystem metabolism, Glacial fjord, Nutrient sink/source, Marine endmembers, Freshwater endmembers, Kongsfjorden

Date made live:

08 Jul 2025 10:48 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/537321