NOC and Augmentum join forces on Arctic mission
In the fjords of Greenland, researchers from the UK’s National Oceanography Centre (NOC) have embarked on groundbreaking Arctic fieldwork. The effort is supported by Augmentum, a charitable platform that backs projects aimed at improving lives, empowering communities and strengthening our connection with nature and history.
The team from NOC boarded Augmentum’s vessel My Akula in August to investigate the impact of glacial melt on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) cycling and microbial biodiversity in Greenland’s Sermilik, Narsarsuaq and Qaqortoq fjords. Melting Arctic glaciers release DOC, which could impact the growth of phytoplankton and bacteria. These foundation organisms form the base of the marine food web and play a critical role in regulating the ocean’s carbon cycle.
Understanding Arctic carbon cycling
The research expedition aims to characterize DOC sources, assess microbial biodiversity and examine DOC’s role in fjord ecosystems. The findings will enhance scientific understanding of Arctic carbon cycling and the wider climate impacts as part of NOC’s Arctic Mission.
The Arctic region is critical to understanding climate change. Shifts in the Arctic environment are not only affecting the local population, but every person in the UK and across the planet, through rising sea levels, changes to our climate and weather patterns and threats to biodiversity and services provided by the ocean.
Augmentum has committed funding for the next year to enable leading scientists to conduct this critically important research.
Predicting future impacts
Dr Elena Garcia-Martin, principal investigator of phytoplankton dynamics at NOC, expressed her gratitude to Augmentum and the My Akula crew for supporting the research. She emphasized that the Arctic is changing faster than almost anywhere else on Earth, and that understanding how glacial melt alters the ocean’s carbon cycle is crucial for predicting future impacts on climate and ecosystems. According to her, the partnership makes it possible to conduct groundbreaking fieldwork, generating new data that will help scientists worldwide gain deeper insight into both the resilience and the vulnerability of the Arctic Ocean.
Alessandro Braglia, coordinator at Augmentum, underlined the company’s pride in supporting the NOC-led research mission. He noted that the melting of Arctic glaciers is not only a visible marker of climate change, but also a hidden force reshaping marine ecosystems and the global carbon cycle. Augmentum’s contribution, he explained, goes beyond financial support and represents an investment in the knowledge that society urgently needs. By advancing collective understanding of the Arctic’s role in regulating Earth’s climate, Braglia stressed, it becomes possible to make better-informed choices for a sustainable future. He added that partnerships between science and sponsors are essential to accelerate discovery, inspire action and build resilience for generations to come.
