Turkish scientists step up efforts of studying climate change in Arctic ocean

Turkish scientists are stepping up efforts to study the impacts of climate change in the Arctic Ocean, undertaking comprehensive biological, chemical, and physical monitoring during Türkiye’s fifth national Arctic expedition.

This multidisciplinary initiative aims to build a detailed understanding of how the region’s ecosystems are responding to global warming, with researchers collecting data from multiple environmental compartments, including seawater, sea ice, glaciers, and sediments. 

The expedition employs CTD instruments—measuring conductivity, temperature, and depth—to capture the dynamics of the ocean.

Deputy expedition leader and researcher Erhan Arslan emphasized the value of these measurements talking to the Turkish Anadolu Agency, noting that “CTD readings are key to showing the extent to which the melting of ice affects the marine ecosystem.” 

These instruments allow scientists to observe changes in water column structure, salinity, and temperature, which are essential for understanding how ice melt alters oceanographic conditions.

Bilge Durgut, a PhD candidate in marine biology participating in the mission, highlighted the significance of the project as one of the first systematic Arctic monitoring efforts led by Türkiye.

She explained that comparing this year’s eDNA and ice samples with those collected previously from sea ice and glaciers enables researchers to observe how microbial communities and larger organisms evolve over time. 

“Monitoring the long-term effects of these changes on ecosystems is key to understanding the impact of climate change,” she said. “By integrating molecular biological methods with oceanographic and biogeochemical data, we contribute both to the conservation of Arctic biodiversity and Türkiye’s position in Arctic research.”

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 and officially came into force in 1961. The treaty designates Antarctica as a region devoted to science, preserves it as a nature reserve, and promotes peace while guaranteeing freedom for scientific research. It also strictly prohibits any military activity on the continent. Currently, 53 countries are parties to the treaty, with Türkiye joining the agreement in 1995.

According to the article, the expedition’s work also underscores the importance of repeated measurements at the same locations. Assistant professor of marine sciences Aslihan Nasif, who has conducted CTD and oceanographic measurements in the Arctic for two years, stressed that consistent monitoring is essential to detect gradual or subtle shifts in the polar environment.

“We track the changes year by year, meter by meter, and even centimeter by centimeter,” she said.

This method allows researchers to detect small fluctuations in water column characteristics, such as shifts in temperature or salinity, which can have cascading effects on local ecosystems and global ocean circulation patterns.

Nasif emphasized that the Arctic is among the regions most acutely affected by climate change, as ice melt transforms the physical properties of the water.

She explained, “Sometimes, surface temperatures change, other times, we observe fluctuations in the salinity of the water—each measurement station provides insight into the hydrographic changes in the region, and this data is important for all of us because what happens here affects other parts of the world.”

This highlights the global relevance of Arctic monitoring, as changes in polar systems influence weather patterns, ocean currents, and biodiversity far beyond the region.

By combining traditional oceanographic tools with cutting-edge molecular techniques, the publication puts emphasis on the team's goal to create a long-term dataset that can track changes over time and inform conservation strategies.

By Nazrin Sadigova