Marine, terrestrial, and atmospheric microbial diversity in a coastal Arctic environment
Our study aims at providing data on Arctic Ocean waters as sources of atmospheric biogenic INP by disentangling the relative roles of indigenous microbial activity and terrestrial runoff. Identifying the dominant drivers of coastal marine INP concentrations is essential for predicting how Arctic INP sources may evolve under a warming climate. To address this, we studied temporal and spatial variations in INP concentrations in coastal waters off Disko Island, Western Greenland. Bacterial and microalgal communities were analysed to identify correlations with biogenic INP abundance, and meteoric water fractions were used to quantify the contribution of terrestrial runoff. In addition, we examined ambient aerosol samples collected from a nearby foreland to characterise and quantify airborne bacterial cells and biogenic INP concentrations in this Arctic coastal environment.