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Description
The submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) has been recently shown to impact geochemical budgets of the ocean as well as seafloor biota. SGD in the Arctic region is regulated by glaciers and permafrost. Expected climate change in the Arctic Ocean and its impact on the ice cover may alter the input of freshwater to SGD and result in so far unknown consequences. Given the absence of holistic investigations, we propose a multi-disciplinary project to investigate SGD around Svalbard and northern Norway where SGD is expected or was confirmed by our tentative work. We propose to conduct detailed surveys to 1) determine the factors controlling SGD; 2) reconstruct SGD history through authigenic precipitates; 3) quantify the fluxes of groundwater and accompanying solutes to the overlying water column; 4) investigate the impact of SGD on benthic meio- & macro-fauna. To achieve these goals, we propose multitask field campaigns to conduct high resolution acoustic and optical seafloor mapping and systematic seafloor sampling for sediment, authigenic precipitates, pore fluid and biological samples with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV). The knowledge gained from the proposed study will provide baseline information on the environmental impact of SGD, which is crucial for predictions in a changing Arctic. The ambitious research program can only be executed by a scientific team that brings together expertise in geology, geochemistry, and biology to examine the different aspects of ecosystem functioning. Publications in high impact journals are expected with future collaborations of research activities and proposals fostered by the current joint efforts.