Funds are provided to characterize the distribution of water masses and organic matter on the Eurasian shelf during several ice-breaker cruises by using a multi-tracer approach and existing international and multidisciplinary collaborations. Data from a recently tested in situ fluorescence probe will be complemented by the determination of hydrographic characteristics, organic tracers (lignin phenols, neutral sugars, stable carbon isotopes), and stable oxygen isotopes (H218O). The analysis of this combination of measurements will be used to investigate two main scientific objectives: 1. determination of the role of sea ice formation in the exchange of water masses, in particular the formation of Arctic halocline waters on the Eurasian shelf, and 2. determination of the role of physical exchanges between the Arctic Ocean and the Eurasian shelf in the biology and biogeochemical fluxes of the region.
