Publications by authors named "Wieter Boone"
Article Synopsis
- * In September 2023, researchers detected a significant seismic signal from East Greenland that corresponded to a rock-ice avalanche leading to a tsunami in Dickson Fjord.
- * The study reveals that the tsunami transformed into a 7-meter-high long-duration seiche, demonstrating the interplay between glacial melting and geological hazards, emphasizing the dangerous effects of climate change on these environments.
Coastal seas are under increasing pressure from extreme weather events and sea level rise, resulting in impacts such as changing hydrodynamic conditions, coastal erosion, and marine heat waves. To monitor changes in coastal marine habitats, such as reefs and macrophytes meadows, which add to the resilience of our coasts, consistent, medium- to long-term seafloor observations are needed. This project aims to deliver repeated, high-frequency sonar surveys on a stationary seabed mooring of a specific target area over a period of up to several months.
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- The effectiveness of oil spill breakdown in Arctic waters is heavily influenced by the presence of oil-degrading bacteria, whose activity is hindered by extreme seasonal conditions like nutrient scarcity and freezing temperatures.
- Research was conducted in SW-Greenland fjords, comparing the epipelagic (shallower, variable conditions) and mesopelagic (deeper, stable conditions) zones to assess their impact on bacterial growth and oil degradation rates, with findings indicating lower biodegradation in the epipelagic zone due to harsher environmental factors.
- Genetic analysis revealed that bacterial populations were significantly denser and more diverse in the mesopelagic zone, correlating with a more effective oil degradation process compared to the epipelagic zone, where poor growth conditions limited
Climate change is rapidly altering the Arctic environment. Although long-term environmental observations have been made at a few locations in the Arctic, the incomplete coverage from ground stations is a main limitation to observations in these remote areas. Here we present a wind and sun powered multi-purpose mobile observatory (ARC-MO) that enables near real time measurements of air, ice, land, rivers, and marine parameters in remote off-grid areas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn pristine sea ice-covered Arctic waters the potential of natural attenuation of oil spills has yet to be uncovered, but increasing shipping and oil exploitation may bring along unprecedented risks of oil spills. We deployed adsorbents coated with thin oil films for up to 2.5 month in ice-covered seawater and sea ice in Godthaab Fjord, SW Greenland, to simulate and investigate in situ biodegradation and photooxidation of dispersed oil.
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- Rising Arctic temperatures are causing significant melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet and reducing sea ice cover, with tidewater outlet glaciers serving as key connections between glaciers and the ocean.
- This study presents hydrographic measurements from a retreating tidewater outlet glacier near Flade Isblink Ice Cap, revealing changes in seasonal freshwater content and surface temperatures exceeding 1°C during the short open water period.
- The melting dynamics of the glacier are heavily influenced by the retreat of adjacent sea ice and the length of time the water is open, impacting the glacier's morphology at its terminus.