Fjords found to be powerful carbon sinks

Nature : Fjords, deep inlets carved into steep cliffs by glaciers, collect a lot of carbon, according to a recent study published in Nature Geoscience. The reason they collect more carbon than most other coastal areas is that their flanks tend to be covered in trees and the water serves as a receptacle for the carbon runoff. However, fjords have been hard to study because they are typically remote, and nine months out of the year they are covered in ice. Nevertheless, the study’s authors have managed to compile data from almost all the fjords in the world. From the 573 surface sediment samples and 124 sediment cores they collected, they found that, per unit area, organic compounds get buried twice as fast in fjords as in the rest of the ocean and that fjord sediments contain twice as much organic carbon. Although the number of fjords may grow as atmospheric temperatures increase and melt the glaciers, the researchers point out that the increase still won’t be enough to counteract the effects of global warming.