Collaborative research: advancing knowledge of arctic land-ocean dynamics through the arctic great rivers observatory (ARCTICGRO)

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) received a $422,121 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's Division of Polar Programs (CFDA 47.078) effective September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028. This collaborative research award supports the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (ArcticGRO), which has provided essential time-series data on water discharge and chemical analyses from the six largest Arctic rivers—the Yukon and Mackenzie in North America and the Yenisey, Ob, Lena, and Kolyma in Russia—since 2003. MBL will continue water chemistry sampling at the Yukon River (Pilot Station) and Mackenzie River (Tsiigehtchic) to extend critical long-term monitoring records, while curating and disseminating discharge data for all ArcticGRO rivers and expanding datasets through archived sample analysis.

The award supports analysis of documented changes in Arctic river water chemistry over the past 20 years and includes collaboration with Yukon River watershed communities to address local water quality concerns. ArcticGRO will measure a comprehensive suite of chemical parameters including dissolved and particulate organic carbon concentrations and isotope values, particulate nitrogen concentrations and isotope values, and additional water quality indicators. The data generated will be disseminated broadly to the scientific community to advance understanding of watershed dynamics and ocean processes at local, regional, and global scales, directly supporting U.S. Arctic interests in economic development, food security, community resilience, and weather pattern understanding.

Abstract

Arctic rivers drain vast northern landscapes and flow into the arctic ocean, forming critical land-ocean linkages. Studies of these linkages provide data that are influential for U.S. Interests in the arctic, including economic development, food security, community resilience, and weather patterns across the U.S. And the globe. Since 2003, the arctic great rivers observatory (ARCTICGRO) has provided essential time-series data of water discharge and chemical analyses for the six largest arctic rivers ? The yukon in the USA, the mackenzie in canada, and the yenisey, OB?, lena, and kolyma in russia ? As well as the curation and dissemination of discharge data for nine additional rivers. This proposal supports the continued sampling of water chemistry in the yukon and mackenzie rivers, ensuring the continuity of these crucial time-series. The team will curate and disseminate discharge data for all ARCTICGRO rivers and will expand the dataset through analysis of archived samples to explore potential causes of documented changes in arctic river water chemistry over the past 20 years. The ARCTICGRO research team will also work with communities in the yukon river watershed to address questions about local water quality. Data generated by ARCTICGRO will be disseminated broadly and used by the scientific community to understand watershed dynamics and ocean processes at local, regional, and global scales. Continued sampling of the yukon (at pilot station) and mackenzie (at tsiigehtchic) rivers will extend time-series records of water chemistry, supporting the assessment of watershed-scale changes across wide expanses of the north american arctic. A broad suite of parameters will continue to be measured, including dissolved and particulate organic carbon concentrations and isotope values; particulate nitrogen concentrations and isotope values; concentrations of dissolved nutrients, major ions, and trace elements; alkalinity; optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) including UV-visible absorbance and fluorescence; molecular-level composition of DOM, and stable isotope ratios of oxygen and hydrogen in water. Additional water samples will be archived to support future research. At the same time, retrospective analyses of archived samples deepen the dataset and provide critical context for hypothesis testing and model development. These efforts will apply advanced techniques, including ultra-high-resolution mass spectrometry to assess DOM composition, and strontium and sulfate isotope analyses to resolve weathering processes and their role in observed increases in river alkalinity. The investigators will also continue to acquire river discharge data from a larger set of international arctic rivers. Discharge data are essential for interpretating changes in arctic river water chemistry and are also widely used across the arctic research community as a standalone metric. The ARCTICGRO team will maintain and enhance access to its comprehensive time-series datasets, enabling researchers to investigate watershed processes and land-ocean interactions. To promote broader synthesis and discovery, they will also develop user-friendly visualization tools and foster integration of ARCTICGRO data into interdisciplinary arctic research and synthesis initiatives. This project is jointly funded by the arctic observing network program and the established program to stimulate competitive research (EPSCOR). This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are planned for this award.