| NSF Org: |
OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | May 9, 2022 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | July 11, 2023 |
| Award Number: | 2224824 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Marc Stieglitz
mstiegli@nsf.gov (703)292-4354 OPP Office of Polar Programs (OPP) GEO Directorate for Geosciences |
| Start Date: | June 1, 2022 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $64,699.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $70,219.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2023 = $5,520.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO US 80309-0001 (303)492-6221 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3100 MARINE ST STE 481 572 UCB BOULDER CO US 80303-1058 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | ANS-Arctic Natural Sciences |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.078 |
ABSTRACT
Water melting from glaciers flow on top of, through, and underneath glaciers, ultimately ending up in lakes or the ocean. Sometimes, this water does not take a direct path to the coast, but first enters near-shore lakes next to the glacier, called ice-marginal lakes, which can be dammed by ice. When the ice dams holding the water in these lakes fail, the water can rapidly drain to the coast over several days. The largest ice-marginal lake in Greenland is believed to be Lake Tininnilik, which recently drained into the ocean in 2021. The current low water levels mean that sediments in the lake are now exposed. This will be the first study to measure chemicals, nutrients, and microorganisms in the lake and sediments. It will also determine how lake storage changes the chemistry of water melting from the glacier. With continued climate warming, the amount of water stored in ice-marginal lakes is expected to increase, and determining the chemistry of Lake Tininnilik is important for understanding ecosystem change and carbon cycling in the coastal ocean following drainage. The project leadership includes three women, all of which are ethnic and racial minorities. As part of this project, a web-based virtual reality tour of Lake Tininnilik will be created for anyone to use. The tour will be important for other scientists trying to better understand the layout of the lake and will also be a teaching tool for the public.
Because of erosion and weathering under ice sheets, subglacial waters are rich in macro- and micro-nutrients. These nutrient-rich waters can be directly discharged into the ocean or stored in pro-glacial lakes, including ice-marginal lakes. Lake Tininnilik is a large ice-marginal lake restrained by an ice dam along Sarqardliup Glacier in western Greenland. It drains approximately every 10 years into a local fjord, most recently in 2021, exposing previously inundated sediments. Preliminary work prior to the 2021 drainage shows that iron (an important minor nutrient for marine phytoplankton) is 10 to 100 times greater than glacial meltwater entering the ocean directly. The iron concentrations are also paradoxically high compared to other redox sensitive element concentrations. This project will collect and analyze water samples from different lobes of Lake Tininnilik and exposed sediments to address how ice-marginal lakes change the chemical and microbial composition and availability of nutrients for near-shore and open-ocean ecosystems. Sarqardleq Fjord, into which Lake Tininnilik drains, is an important source of fish for local indigenous populations, and this work will aid future studies seeking to understand how rapid drainage events may affect the marine food web.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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