Mid-winter surveys for sea ice biogeochemistry in bi-polar oceans

Sea ice has rarely been considered in estimates of global
biogeochemical cycles, especially gas exchanges, because of
the assumption that, in ice-covered seas, sea-ice acts as a
barrier for atmosphere–ocean exchange. However, recent work
has shown that sea ice and its snow cover play an active role in
the exchange of gases between the ocean and atmosphere [1]
[2]. Our results provide a useful reference for future
studies as the ongoing drastic changes in polar climate and sea
ice extent are likely to alter the biogeochemical cycles in
polar ocean–sea ice–atmosphere system.
However,, the lack of information for the winter-time sea ice
biogeochemistry was pointed out, due to the difficulty to
acquire data under harsh weather conditions. In this
presentation, we will present our recent winter-time sea ice
surveys of sea ice biogeochemistry on the R/V Aurora
Australis off East Antarctica (SIPEX-II) in 2012 and the midwinter
sea ice cruise on the R/V Polarstern in the Weddell Sea,
Antarctica (AWECS) in 2013. In addition, we will also show
the ongoing project of Norwegian Young sea ICE cruise (NICE2015)
on the R/V Lance drifting for half a year in Arctic
sea ice north of Svalbard in 2015.
[1] Nomura et al. (2013) J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 118, 6511-
6524. [2] Delille et al. (2014) J. Geophys. Res. Oceans 119,
6340-6355.