HYDROGRAPHIC PROCESSES IN HIGH LATITUDE SYSTEMS IN A CONTECT OF CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLACIER RETREAT
The Beagle Channel and neighboring high-latitude fjords and channels constitute a fascinating area that researchers are diving into as part of the CoastCarb project. This special channel, along with its subantarctic fjords, shares some similarities with other high-latitude waters. Take the Baltic Sea, for instance. Like the Beagle, it’s a semi-enclosed body of water, and researchers have discovered that its water properties, near-bottom oxygen levels, and even the trapping of carbon are influenced by how much freshwater flows in and how the ocean inflows interact with it to form sharp haloclines, internal waves, turbulence and mixing.
During my secondment, meetings with Professor Katarzyna Błachowiak-Samołyk and her team revolved around the hydrography of the Beagle Channel and the best strategies for sampling given that, as part of the project, they were heading to the Beagle Channel to get involved in field sampling.
I also had the honor of participating in a short cruise in the Baltic Sea, where I gained firsthand experience with techniques we want to apply in CoastCarb’s southern study areas. It was an incredible opportunity to work with equipment like a towed CTD and a Rockland microstructure profiler, which could soon make waves in research efforts in the Beagle Channel. This sharing of ideas and techniques is essential for understanding how turbulence and mixing may affect carbon stocks in these frigid waters.
