The Cryosphere
The Cryosphere
TC
Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-535-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-535-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 20, issue 1
Research article
 | 
22 Jan 2026
Research article |  | 22 Jan 2026

Biogeochemical shifts during Arctic spring: potential reduction of CH4 and N2O emissions driven by surfactants in the sea-surface microlayer

Lina A. Holthusen, Hermann W. Bange, Thomas H. Badewien, Julia C. Muchowski, Tina Santl-Temkiv, Jennie Spicker Schmidt, Oliver Wurl, and Damian L. Arévalo-Martínez

Supplement

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-535-2026-supplement

Data sets

Surfactants in the Sea-Surface Microlayer and dissolved CH4 and N2O from expedition ARTofMELT, Arctic Ocean, 2023 Lina Aleke Holthusen et al. https://doi.org/10.17043/oden-artofmelt-2023-surfactants-1

Oceanographic CTD data from vertical microstructure profiler (VMP) from expedition ARTofMELT, Arctic Ocean, 2023 Lina Aleke Holthusen et al. https://doi.org/10.17043/oden-artofmelt-2023-ctd-1

Oceanographic conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) data from expedition ARTofMELT, Arctic Ocean, 2023 Julia Christin Muchowski et al. https://doi.org/10.17043/oden-artofmelt-2023-vmp-ctd-1

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Short summary
In spring 2023, in the Fram Strait, we investigated the near-surface distribution of the greenhouse gases methane and nitrous oxide in open leads and under sea ice to address the lack of observations in the Arctic Ocean. The study area acted as a source for both gases, and the onset of sea ice melt affected their concentrations and emissions. Surface-active substances accumulated in the sea-surface microlayer of open leads during an algal bloom, potentially attenuating greenhouse gas emissions.
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