Dynamic microbial populations in Canadas Arctic Ocean are poised to respond to environmental change

The Arctic Ocean is warming at twice the rate of other marine ecosystems. Marine microbiomes drive primary productivity and sustain Arctic food webs, are an important indicator of ecosystem health and function, and provide early indications of environmental change. Water, sediment, ice, and brine samples were collected onboard CCGS Amundsen from over 80 locations spanning 8 years to provide a broad geographic sampling of locations throughout the Canadian Arctic. These samples will be analyzed via 16S and shotgun metagenomic sequencing to provide essential baseline information about the microbial communities in the Canadian Arctic. Results will characterize and quantify the Arctic marine microbiome in space and time, integrating results with other ArcticNet oceanographic data. This will be the first-ever large-scale genomic assessment of Canadas Arctic marine ecosystem. Microorganisms are also natures first responders to environmental perturbations, including hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria which can break down oil in this sensitive ecosystem. This is of great interest to the scientific community, policymakers and decision-makers as rapid changes in Arctic ecosystems and accelerating industrial activity pose a greater risk of accidental oil spills. Highlighting the response of the Arctic marine microbiome to oil spills and identifying unique Arctic-specific genes and genomes will guide mitigation efforts in different high-latitude spill scenarios.