Time series of dissolved organic carbon in the Fram Strait (2010–2021): Indications for increased river export of DOC to the East Greenland Current?

Climate change impacts the Arctic Ocean more profoundly than other regions, with uncertain consequences for carbon cycling. Additionally, allochthonous and autochthonous sources of organic carbon undergo extreme seasonal variability. Distinguishing climate-induced changes from seasonal variability in carbon cycling thus remains a significant challenge. We investigated interannual changes in dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and lability i.e. the lifetime of DOC, which we inferred from amino acid composition, in surface waters of the Fram Strait using time series data collected between 2010 and 2021. Sampling was conducted during summer with the RV POLARSTERN at or around the Long-Term Ecological Research observatory HAUSGARTEN. Our results show that the two major water masses in Fram Strait, the Polar Water (PW; T<0°C; S<34.0) predominant in the East Greenland Current and the Atlantic Water (AW; T>3°C; S>34.9) predominant in the West Spitzbergen Current, differ greatly in their DOC concentration and composition. PW carries high amounts of semi-labile DOC (SL-DOC) from the Arctic Ocean southwards, whereas AW contains less but more labile DOC. No clear trend in DOC concentration over the 10-year time series was detected for AW. In contrast, samples collected in PW between 2016 and 2021 showed a 15% increase in DOC , which was attributable to an increase in SL-DOC. Inter-annual variability in DOC lability was most pronounced in the eastern Fram Strait, likely driven by differences in the seasonal progression of the pelagic ecosystem. Our data suggest that DOC dynamics in the Fram Strait are influenced by an enhanced riverine input of DOC to the Arctic Ocean, leading to an increased DOC export to the North Atlantic.