We are PhD students at the Department of Applied Environmental Science at Stockholm University.

If the frozen ground of the permafrost starts thawing the frozen organic matter (for example plants) starts rotting. Once thawed this matter will be washed out by rain and the rivers will carry it with them to the ocean. Where is this happening and how fast?
Is it during transport into the ocean? Is it in the sea floor after it has sunk? Is it in the deep sea without rotting at all? These are some of the questions this expedition will find answers to.

Hi there, this is Emma! I am looking into what happens to organic matter in the ocean. I will filter water from the Arctic ocean to try and isolate this matter. Back in the lab, I will analyse the filters for traces of the organic matter originating from land: How much is there? How long has it been in the water? Has it rotted away, if so, how much of it has?

Hi there! I’m Lisa! I will focus on finding organic matter in the sea floor. I will collect sediment samples and measure how the oxygen concentration changes with depth in the sediment core. Oxygen is a powerful agent when it comes to breaking down organic compounds. These
measurements can therefore tell us more about the processes happening in the sediment.