Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region
| Principal Investigator: | Pearce, David (1) |
| Licence Number: | 17372 |
| Organization: | Northumbria University at Newcastle |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2023
|
| Issued: | Oct 24, 2023 |
| Project Team: | Rebecca McCerery, Lucie Malard, Julia Schmale |
Objective(s): To characterize airborne microbial communities in the Arctic region, identify potential drivers, determine the risks of microbial invasion and, most importantly, monitor the interannual variability of these airborne communities and the associated environmental drivers.
Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5699. The ArcticAir project will characterize airborne microbial communities in the Arctic region, identify potential drivers, determine the risks of microbial invasion and, most importantly, monitor the interannual variability of these airborne communities and the associated environmental drivers. To this end, we will conduct continuous air sampling through the Northwest Passage, creating the largest dataset of airborne microbial communities for the Arctic. This dataset will allow us to investigate the richness and diversity of these communities, the factors influencing their assemblages (e.g. climate, source, weather) and determine their metabolic activity in this unique and dynamic ecosystem and determine the changing microbial invasion risks from other regions of the globe. This is especially important as the Arctic region is warming 3 times faster than the rest of the world and the ecosystems are already undergoing profound change, particularly in respect of ice loss. Continuous aerobiological, meteorological, and chemical sampling throughout the cruise path, generating the largest and most diverse aerobiological dataset for the Arctic region to date (sampling stations on the vessel can be visited and used for demonstration purposes). We will deploy duplicate commercial high-volume samplers (Coriolis Micro and SAS device). These filters actively filter air to collect microorganisms on sterile, DNAse free nitrocellulose or polycarbonate filters. Filters will be loaded for 3-hours for 4 runs per day: 1- Morning (7-10h) 2- Afternoon (12-15h) 3- Evening (18-21h) 4- Night (00-03h). After use, each filter will be stored in sterile Falcon tubes in DNA/RNA Shield reagent (Zymo) at -20°C (or -80°C if available) to conserve the DNA and RNA. This method will be conducted throughout both legs, annually. On consecutive years, we will ensure the sampling is coordinated to previous years to ensure the comparability of samples. We will collect the weather data from the ship, which include air temperature, humidity, dew point, heat index, wind chill index, wet bulb, air density, air pressure, wind (direction, speed, gust), precipitation (accumulation, duration, intensity), diel cycle timing and sea ice thickness and average the conditions to each 3-hour sample run to obtain an accurate summary of the weather condition at the time of sampling. Where possible, we would also like to acquire 2-3 g of wind blown debris or dust to determine whether the air borne microorganisms are from local or long distance origin. The results of the ArcticAir project will be shared with the public via the media (both social and commercial), lectures and science seminars; and shared with the scientific community at conferences and via the publication of scientific manuscripts in high impact research journals. We are happy to freely engage with local communities and interested parties as requested. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: September 19 - December 31, 2023
