The fate of sub-glacial carbon in an era of deglaciation, RiS ID 10410

Worldwide, deglaciation is transitioning sub-glacial ecosystems into proglacial areas and liberating previously buried organic material. Microbes utilize this material for energy, though factors that govern community structure and metabolism remain unclear. To study how sub-glacial carbon is transformed following retreat, we propose to sample sediment from the terminus of two surging Svalbard glaciers. These samples, along with others from Iceland and Greenland, will provide a comparison between age, geologic substrata, community structure, and molecular character of carbon. The result will be timely insights into the fate of this energy source under imminent climate changes.