Melting glaciers are reshaping how Greenland’s fjords absorb carbon dioxide

Greenland’s fjords help slow climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. However, as Arctic temperatures rise, increasing amounts of freshwater from melting glaciers and sea ice are changing these coastal ecosystems. During his PhD studies, Henry C. Henson investigated how freshwater influences the ocean’s ability to absorb and store carbon. His research shows that freshwater from melting glaciers plays a central role in regulating carbon uptake, increasing the ocean’s ability to absorb carbon dioxide while reshaping when and where that uptake occurs. The findings improve our understanding of how Arctic coastal ecosystems may respond to continued warming and help scientists better predict future changes in the Arctic carbon cycle.

The PhD study was completed at Department of Ecoscience, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: Friday, 11 September 2026 at 10:00
Place: Building 1110, room 223, Lecture Theatre, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 8, 8000 Aarhus C
Title of PhD thesis: Air-Sea Carbon Dioxide Exchange in Greenland’s Freshening Coastal Ocean
Contact information: Henry C. Henson, e-mail: hch@ecos.au.dk, tel.: +45 42498831
Members of the assessment committee:
Senior Research Professor Agneta Fransson, Department of Oceanography, Norwegian Polar Institute, Norway
Professor Tom Bell, Department of Marine Processes & Observations, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom
Professor Martin Søndergaard (chair), Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark
Main supervisor: Professor Lise Lotte Sørensen, Department of Environmental Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
Co-supervisor: Tenure Track Researcher Johnna M. Holding, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus Univeristy, Denmark
Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS, Ny Munkegade 120, building 1521, 8000 Aarhus C.