The Lincoln Sea, the last refuge of the changing Arctic Ocean

The Arctic Ocean (AO) is a key component of Earth’s climate, acting as a coolant by contributing ~10% to the global oceanic carbon pump. Its remarkable capacity to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere comes from its cold waters that favour CO2 dissolution and its highly productive continental shelves that help sequester this carbon. Yet, the AO is warming at an unprecedented rate and the local and global consequences of its rapid evolution remain uncertain. Over the past 40 years, the AO sea ice extent has declined by 10-15% per decade, and multiyear ice (having survived at least one summer, usually exceeding 1.5 meters) has decreased by 70% over this period, undermining a whole ecosystem dependent on sea ice. The “Last Ice Area” (LIA), which is the last sanctuary of multiyear sea ice in the AO, is located north of Canada and Greenland. The LIA includes the Lincoln Sea, which hosts unique endemic sea ice-dependent ecosystems. The physical, chemical, and biological properties of the Lincoln Sea remain nearly undocumented. Supported by a French-Canadian initiative (LRI Takuvik-ISTERRE-DFO), the REFUGE-ARCTIC project aims at improving our understanding of how global change influences ecosystems and biogeochemical cycling in the AO by focusing on this still emblematic refuge of climate change, the Lincoln Sea. This consortium will conduct sea ice camps to explore this poorly studied region. Sea ice, hydrography, biogeochemical cycling of nutrients, and marine ecosystems will be observed simultaneously. This initiative, in addition to establishing a comprehensive baseline for conservation efforts, will allow us to study key processes related to past, present, and future climate-induced changes: e.g., increasing ocean-atmosphere exchange, decreasing sea-ice extent and thickness, increasing freshwater inputs from sea-ice melting, changes in water temperature. REFUGE-ARCTIC will strengthen the conservation of this fragile region by helping to i) create a permanent marine protected area supported by the Arctic Council, ii) pursue and establish new partnerships as a science informant for Inuit communities and stakeholders, and iii) amplify communication between scientists and the general public and younger generations on the importance, uniqueness, beauty and global role of these fascinating endangered environments with the support of artistic realizations, among others.