Abstract:
Terrestrial, limnetic and coastal ecosystems in Antarctica are connected by
transport (predominantly by melt water) of organic matter and minerals.
Temperature increase (either directly or indirectly via changes in melt water
fluxes and precipitation patterns) influences the fluxes of organic matter and
minerals within and between these ecosystems.
...
In order to study the fluxes of organic matter and minerals in the system, it
is necessary to know the source, the pathways and the sink of it. In this
proposal a pilot experiment is described to identify sources of organic matter
and minerals.
Stable isotope ratios of C, N, S, and O in organic compounds and the chemical
structure of organic molecules in organic matter of known origin, will be
identified for future reference in flux studies on the ecosystem level. As the
input of minerals from marine origin is regarded to be an important mineral
source for the terrestrial ecosystem, a second pilot experiment on the
composition of sea spray, blown inland by wind will be performed.
A pilot study is proposed with the objectives:
-To study the isotope ratio's of C, N, S, and O in organic matter of known
origin by sampling various components of the terrestrial ecosystem and to
establish a database on the chemical structure of organic compounds of
constituents of the terrestrial, limnetic and coastal marine ecosystems, which
may be used as biomarkers for the origin, diagenesis and transport pathways of
organic matter future studies.
-To perform a pilot experiment on the importance of sea spray for the mineral
requirement of terrestrial vegetation. 
