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

The National Science Foundation's Division of Polar Programs (CFDA 47.078) awarded $345,087 to Woodwell Climate Research Center Inc. on September 1, 2025, for a collaborative research project focused on advancing knowledge of Arctic land-ocean dynamics through the Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (ArcticGRO). The three-year project, scheduled for completion by August 31, 2028, will provide essential time-series data and scientific products supporting U.S. interests in Arctic economic development, food security, community resilience, and global weather pattern understanding. The award supports continued water chemistry sampling and analysis for the Yukon and Mackenzie Rivers, curation and dissemination of discharge data for all major Arctic rivers, and expansion of the dataset through analysis of archived samples to identify causes of documented changes in water chemistry over the past 20 years.

The project deliverables include comprehensive water chemistry measurements—including dissolved and particulate organic carbon concentrations and isotope values, particulate nitrogen concentrations and isotope values, and related parameters—from two North American Arctic rivers. ArcticGRO will disseminate its data broadly to the scientific community and engage with local Yukon River watershed communities to address regional water quality questions. These research outputs will enable scientists to assess watershed-scale changes and understand ocean processes at local, regional, and global scales, contributing to fundamental knowledge of polar environmental systems as emphasized within the Polar Programs funding mechanism.

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 not planned for this award.