{"id":3051,"date":"2025-05-25T01:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T23:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/?p=3051"},"modified":"2025-05-25T23:13:54","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T21:13:54","slug":"seaweed-forests-spreading-could-change-ocean-chemistry-in-the-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/2025\/05\/25\/seaweed-forests-spreading-could-change-ocean-chemistry-in-the-arctic\/","title":{"rendered":"Seaweed forests spreading, could change ocean chemistry in the Arctic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The Arctic\u2019s greening from a warming climate isn\u2019t just happening on land\u2014it\u2019s unfolding beneath the ocean surface too. There, seaweed forests are taking root in once-frigid fjords, with the potential to impact the ocean\u2019s chemistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A recent study published in the journal&nbsp;Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans&nbsp;has explored this, looking at how rising seawater temperatures and melting sea ice are creating ideal conditions for macroalgae\u2014large seaweed species like brown, red, and green algae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWarmer seawater and less sea ice growth due to an increase in global temperature have a significant impact on the Arctic ecosystem, favoring the growth of seaweeds or macroalgae in coastal areas,\u201d the authors say in the study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMacroalgae are known to produce higher organic biomass annually, which can contribute to the carbon pools of Arctic fjords.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tracking carbon signatures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To to the study, the researchers analyzed sediment samples from Kongsfjorden, a fjord in Svalbard, to track the carbon signatures left by macroalgae.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And despite the presence of several different seaweed species in the region, the study found that all of them contributed similar chemical markers to the sediment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"644\" src=\"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/420627.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3053\" title=\"Kongsfjorden, Svalbard.\" srcset=\"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/420627.jpg 960w, https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/420627-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/420627-768x515.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Kongsfjorden, Svalbard.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe seaweeds showed different biomass production but registered similar lipid molecular patterns, which is unique compared to other organic components,\u201d the study said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick Facts: Seaweed&#8217;s Arctic takeover?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Seaweed Growth: Warmer waters are helping seaweed thrive in the Arctic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Similar Signs: Different seaweed types leave the same markers in the sediment.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Seaweed\u2019s Reach: Outer fjords have more seaweed-based carbon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oxygen Danger: Seaweed breakdown is creating low-oxygen zones.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What\u2019s Next:\u00a0\u201cWarming could lead to more oxygen-starved areas,\u201d say scientists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The study said the different types of organic material\u2014like seaweed, ancient carbon, and land plants\u2014were all mixed in the inner part of the fjords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But in the outer parts of the fjord, the sediments had a higher concentration of seaweed-derived compounds, showing that seaweed had a bigger impact there compared to other sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Further research needed on \u2018dead zones\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The researchers found that in areas dominated by seaweed, the sediments contained sulfur compounds, a sign of low-oxygen conditions, suggesting that as seaweed decomposes, microbes break it down and consume oxygen, leaving oxygen-poor \u201cdead zones.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As some parts of the Arctic continue to warm at nearly four times the rate of the global average, the researchers are calling for continued study of these seaweed-dominated zones to better understand their role in the evolving Arctic ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs the Arctic region continues to warm, more seaweed expansion and sediment entry into the fjords might lead to an increase in such oxygen-starved zones in coastal areas,\u201d&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1029\/2024JC021900\">the study warns.&nbsp;<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;&#8212;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This story is posted on the Barents Observer as part of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.rcinet.ca\/eye-on-the-arctic\/\">Eye on the Arctic<\/a>, a collaborative partnership between public and private circumpolar media organisations.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The study found that all of them contributed similar chemical markers to the sediment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3052,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-climate"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3051"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3051\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3054,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3051\/revisions\/3054"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arcticwatch.info\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}