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Bonsoms J, Oliva M, Alonso-González E, Revuelto J, López-Moreno JI. Impact of climate change on snowpack dynamics in coastal Central-Western Greenland. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 913:169616. [PMID: 38159743 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.169616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Snow patterns in ice-free areas of Greenland play important roles in ecosystems. Within a changing climate, a comprehensive understanding of the snow responses to climate change is of interest to anticipate forthcoming dynamics in these areas. In this study, we analyze the future snowpack evolution of a polar maritime Arctic location, Qeqertarsuaq (Disko Island, Central-Western Greenland). A physically-based snow model (FSM2) is validated and forced with CMIP6 projections for SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 greenhouse gasses emission scenarios, using two models: CanESM5 and MIROC6. The future snowpack evolution is assessed through four key seasonal (October to May) snow climate indicators: snow depth, snow days, snowfall fraction and ablation rate. Comparison against the observed air temperature for the reference climate period demonstrates superior accuracies for MIROC6 SSP2.4-5, with anomalies at 19 %, compared to CanESM5 SSP5.8-5 (25 %) and CanESM5 SSP2.4-5 (78 %). In terms of precipitation, CanESM5 SSP2.4-5 and SSP2.4-5 exhibit smaller anomalies against the observed data (5 %) in contrast to MIROC6 SSP2.4-5 (15 %) and MIROC6 SSP2.8-5 (17 %). Results demonstrate distinct snowpack responses to climate change depending on the model and emission scenario. For CanESM5, seasonal snow depth anomalies with respect to the reference period range from - 38 % (SSP2-4.5, 2040-2050 period) to - 74 % (SSP5-8.5, 2090-2100 period). MIROC6 projects lower snowpack reductions, with a decrease ranging from - 38 % (SSP2-4.5, 2040-2050 period) to - 57 % (SSP5-8.5, 2090-2100 period). Similar reductions are anticipated for snowfall and snow days. Changes in the snowpack evolution are primarily driven by positive trends in downwelling longwave radiation and air temperature. The projected increase in precipitation by the mid to late 21st century will lead to more frequent rain-on-snow events, intensifying snowpack melting. These findings help enhance the comprehension of future snow dynamics in the ice-free zones of Greenland, as well as the associated hydrological and ecological changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josep Bonsoms
- Department of Geography, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Marc Oliva
- Department of Geography, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esteban Alonso-González
- Centre d'Etudes Spatiales de la Biosphère (CESBIO), Université de Toulouse, CNES/CNRS/IRD/UPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Jesús Revuelto
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Campus de Aula Dei, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Juan I López-Moreno
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Campus de Aula Dei, Zaragoza, Spain
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2
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Duncan RJ, Nielsen D, Søreide JE, Varpe Ø, Tobin MJ, Pitusi V, Heraud P, Petrou K. Biomolecular profiles of Arctic sea-ice diatoms highlight the role of under-ice light in cellular energy allocation. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2024; 4:ycad010. [PMID: 38328449 PMCID: PMC10848308 DOI: 10.1093/ismeco/ycad010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 12/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024]
Abstract
Arctic sea-ice diatoms fuel polar marine food webs as they emerge from winter darkness into spring. Through their photosynthetic activity they manufacture the nutrients and energy that underpin secondary production. Sea-ice diatom abundance and biomolecular composition vary in space and time. With climate change causing short-term extremes and long-term shifts in environmental conditions, understanding how and in what way diatoms adjust biomolecular stores with environmental perturbation is important to gain insight into future ecosystem energy production and nutrient transfer. Using synchrotron-based Fourier transform infrared microspectroscopy, we examined the biomolecular composition of five dominant sea-ice diatom taxa from landfast ice communities covering a range of under-ice light conditions during spring, in Svalbard, Norway. In all five taxa, we saw a doubling of lipid and fatty acid content when light transmitted to the ice-water interface was >5% but <15% (85%-95% attenuation through snow and ice). We determined a threshold around 15% light transmittance after which biomolecular synthesis plateaued, likely because of photoinhibitory effects, except for Navicula spp., which continued to accumulate lipids. Increasing under-ice light availability led to increased energy allocation towards carbohydrates, but this was secondary to lipid synthesis, whereas protein content remained stable. It is predicted that under-ice light availability will change in the Arctic, increasing because of sea-ice thinning and potentially decreasing with higher snowfall. Our findings show that the nutritional content of sea-ice diatoms is taxon-specific and linked to these changes, highlighting potential implications for future energy and nutrient supply for the polar marine food web.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca J Duncan
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
- Department of Arctic Biology, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, 9170, Norway
| | - Daniel Nielsen
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Janne E Søreide
- Department of Arctic Biology, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, 9170, Norway
| | - Øystein Varpe
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, 5020, Norway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Bergen, 5006, Norway
| | - Mark J Tobin
- Australian Synchrotron—ANSTO, Clayton, Victoria, 3168, Australia
| | - Vanessa Pitusi
- Department of Arctic Biology, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen, 9170, Norway
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, University in Tromsø (UiT), Tromsø, 9010, Norway
| | - Philip Heraud
- Centre for Biospectroscopy, School of Chemistry, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, 3800, Australia
| | - Katherina Petrou
- School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
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3
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Doherty SJ, Busby RR, Baker CCM, Barbato RA. Rhizosphere microbial community structure differs between constant subzero and freeze-thaw temperature regimes in a subarctic soil. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad147. [PMID: 37962959 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
In the Arctic and subarctic, climate change is causing reduced snowpack extent and earlier snowmelt. Shallower snowpack decreases the thermal insulation of underlying soil and results in more freeze-thaw conditions reflective of dynamic air temperatures. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of alternative temperature regimes on overall microbial community structure and rhizosphere recruitment across representatives of three subarctic plant functional groups. We hypothesized that temperature regime would influence rhizosphere community structure more than plant type. Planted microcosms were established using a tree, forb, grass, or no plant control and subjected to either freeze-thaw cycling or static subzero temperatures. Our results showed rhizosphere communities exhibited reduced diversity compared to bulk soils, and were influenced by temperature conditions and to a lesser extent plant type. We found that plants have a core microbiome that is persistent under different winter temperature scenarios but also have temperature regime-specific rhizosphere microbes. Freeze-thaw cycling resulted in greater community shifts from the pre-incubation soils when compared to constant subzero temperature. This finding suggests that wintertime snowpack conditions may be a significant factor for plant-microbe interactions upon spring thaw.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stacey J Doherty
- United States Army, Engineer Research Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755, United States
| | - Ryan R Busby
- United States Army, Engineer Research Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory, Champaign, IL 61826, United States
| | - Christopher C M Baker
- United States Army, Engineer Research Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755, United States
| | - Robyn A Barbato
- United States Army, Engineer Research Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, Hanover, NH 03755, United States
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4
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Marta S, Zimmer A, Caccianiga M, Gobbi M, Ambrosini R, Azzoni RS, Gili F, Pittino F, Thuiller W, Provenzale A, Ficetola GF. Heterogeneous changes of soil microclimate in high mountains and glacier forelands. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5306. [PMID: 37652908 PMCID: PMC10471727 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41063-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Landscapes nearby glaciers are disproportionally affected by climate change, but we lack detailed information on microclimate variations that can modulate the impacts of global warming on proglacial ecosystems and their biodiversity. Here, we use near-subsurface soil temperatures in 175 stations from polar, equatorial and alpine glacier forelands to generate high-resolution temperature reconstructions, assess spatial variability in microclimate change from 2001 to 2020, and estimate whether microclimate heterogeneity might buffer the severity of warming trends. Temporal changes in microclimate are tightly linked to broad-scale conditions, but the rate of local warming shows great spatial heterogeneity, with faster warming nearby glaciers and during the warm season, and an extension of the snow-free season. Still, most of the fine-scale spatial variability of microclimate is one-to-ten times larger than the temporal change experienced during the past 20 years, indicating the potential for microclimate to buffer climate change, possibly allowing organisms to withstand, at least temporarily, the effects of warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvio Marta
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy.
- Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, IGG-CNR, Italian National Research Council, 56124, Pisa, Italy.
| | - Anaïs Zimmer
- Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin, 78712, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Marco Caccianiga
- Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, via G. Celoria 26, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Mauro Gobbi
- Research & Museum Collections Office, Climate and Ecology Unit, MUSE-Science Museum, Corso del Lavoro e della Scienza 3, 38122, Trento, Italy
| | - Roberto Ambrosini
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberto Sergio Azzoni
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Department of Earth Sciences "Ardito Desio", University of Milan, Via L. Mangiagalli 34, 20133, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabrizio Gili
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology, University of Turin, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy
| | - Francesca Pittino
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences (DISAT) - University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Wilfried Thuiller
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F38000, Grenoble, France
| | - Antonello Provenzale
- Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, IGG-CNR, Italian National Research Council, 56124, Pisa, Italy
| | - Gentile Francesco Ficetola
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Via G. Celoria 10, 20133, Milan, Italy
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Univ. Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, LECA, F38000, Grenoble, France
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5
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Becker-Scarpitta A, Antão LH, Schmidt NM, Blanchet FG, Kaarlejärvi E, Raundrup K, Roslin T. Diverging trends and drivers of Arctic flower production in Greenland over space and time. Polar Biol 2023; 46:837-848. [PMID: 37589013 PMCID: PMC10425507 DOI: 10.1007/s00300-023-03164-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic is warming at an alarming rate. While changes in plant community composition and phenology have been extensively reported, the effects of climate change on reproduction remain poorly understood. We quantified multidecadal changes in flower density for nine tundra plant species at a low- and a high-Arctic site in Greenland. We found substantial changes in flower density over time, but the temporal trends and drivers of flower density differed both between species and sites. Total flower density increased over time at the low-Arctic site, whereas the high-Arctic site showed no directional change. Within and between sites, the direction and rate of change differed among species, with varying effects of summer temperature, the temperature of the previous autumn and the timing of snowmelt. Finally, all species showed a strong trade-off in flower densities between successive years, suggesting an effective cost of reproduction. Overall, our results reveal region- and taxon-specific variation in the sensitivity and responses of co-occurring species to shared climatic drivers, and a clear cost of reproductive investment among Arctic plants. The ultimate effects of further changes in climate may thus be decoupled between species and across space, with critical knock-on effects on plant species dynamics, food web structure and overall ecosystem functioning. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00300-023-03164-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antoine Becker-Scarpitta
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- CIRAD, UMR PVBMT, 97410 Saint Pierre, La Réunion France
| | - Laura H. Antão
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Niels Martin Schmidt
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
- Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - F. Guillaume Blanchet
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC Canada
- Département de Mathématiques, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC Canada
- Département Des Sciences de La Santé Communautaire, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC Canada
| | - Elina Kaarlejärvi
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katrine Raundrup
- Department of Environment and Mineral Resources, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Tomas Roslin
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
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6
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Verstege JS, Johnson-Bice SM, Roth JD. Arctic and red fox population responses to climate and cryosphere changes at the Arctic's edge. Oecologia 2023; 202:589-599. [PMID: 37458813 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-023-05418-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Responses of one species to climate change may influence the population dynamics of others, particularly in the Arctic where food webs are strongly linked. Specifically, changes to the cryosphere may limit prey availability for predators. We examined Arctic (Vulpes lagopus) and red fox (V. vulpes) population dynamics near the southern edge of the Arctic fox distribution using fur harvest records from Churchill, Manitoba, Canada between 1955 and 2012. Arctic foxes showed a declining population trend over time (inferred from harvest records corrected for trapping effort), whereas the red fox population trend was relatively stable. The positive relationship between the annual Arctic and red fox harvests suggested interspecific competition did not promote the Arctic fox decline. To investigate alternative mechanisms, we evaluated the relative influence of sea-ice phenology, snow depth, snow duration, winter thaws, and summer temperature on the harvest dynamics of both species in the most recent 32 years (1980-2012; n = 29) of our data. Arctic fox harvests were negatively related to the length of time Hudson Bay was free of sea ice. Shorter sea ice duration may reduce access to seal carrion as an alternative winter food source when lemming densities decline. Contrary to our prediction, red fox harvest was not related to summer temperature but was positively related to snow depth, suggesting winter prey availability may limit red fox population growth. Predators have an important ecological role, so understanding the influence of changes in the cryosphere on predator-prey interactions may better illuminate the broader influence of climate change on food-web dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline S Verstege
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - Sean M Johnson-Bice
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada
| | - James D Roth
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.
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7
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Dong J, Anderson LJ. Predicted impacts of global change on bottom-up trophic interactions in the plant-ungulate-wolf food chain in boreal forests. FOOD WEBS 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2022.e00253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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8
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Harnesk D. The decreasing availability of reindeer forage in boreal forests during snow cover periods: A Sámi pastoral landscape perspective in Sweden. AMBIO 2022; 51:2508-2523. [PMID: 35727486 PMCID: PMC9583999 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01752-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This paper argues that Sámi reindeer pastoralism in Sweden is highly stressed during the critical snow cover periods due to large-scale human interventions, especially forestry, and that these have over time significantly worsened the ecological conditions for natural grazing-based responses to changing snow conditions caused by climate change. Informed by a literature review, the paper conceptualises two, overlapping ecological dynamics that shape the availability of lichen as key forage resources within a Sámi pastoral landscape perspective: the grazing dynamics of reindeer during snow cover periods as determined by climatic stochasticity, and the more predictable vegetation dynamics of lichen habitat formation, growth and sustenance based on structured forestry practices. This could help articulate an intervention ecology that pursues sustainable ecological conditions for natural grazing-based Sámi reindeer pastoralism, along with other goals. As such alternatives are likely to face political resistance, the article discusses the implications of its findings within a science-politics interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Harnesk
- Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), PO Box 170, 22 100, Lund, Sweden.
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9
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Wolverines (Gulo gulo) in the Arctic: Revisiting distribution and identifying research and conservation priorities amid rapid environmental change. Polar Biol 2022; 45:1465-1482. [PMID: 36090964 PMCID: PMC9440465 DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03079-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Wolverines (Gulo gulo) occupy most of the globe’s Arctic tundra. Given the rapidly warming climate and expanding human activity in this biome, understanding wolverine ecology, and therefore the species’ vulnerability to such changes, is increasingly important for developing research priorities and effective management strategies. Here, we review and synthesize knowledge of wolverines in the Arctic using both Western science sources and available Indigenous Knowledge (IK) to improve our understanding of wolverine ecology in the Arctic and better predict the species’ susceptibility to change. To accomplish this, we update the pan-Arctic distribution map of wolverines to account for recent observations and then discuss resulting inference and uncertainties. We use these patterns to contextualize and discuss potential underlying drivers of distribution and population dynamics, drawing upon knowledge of food habits, habitat associations, and harvest, as well as studies of wolverine ecology elsewhere. We then identify four broad areas to prioritize conservation and research efforts: (1) Monitoring trends in population abundance, demographics, and distribution and the drivers thereof, (2) Evaluating and predicting wolverines’ responses to ongoing climate change, particularly the consequences of reduced snow and sea ice, and shifts in prey availability, (3) Understanding wolverines’ response to human development, including the possible impact of wintertime over-snow travel and seismic testing to reproductive denning, as well as vulnerability to hunting and trapping associated with increased human access, and (4) Ensuring that current and future harvest are sustainable.
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10
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Large-scale changes in marine and terrestrial environments drive the population dynamics of long-tailed ducks breeding in Siberia. Sci Rep 2022; 12:12355. [PMID: 35853919 PMCID: PMC9296647 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-16166-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Migratory animals experience very different environmental conditions at different times of the year, i.e., at the breeding grounds, during migration, and in winter. The long-tailed duck Clangula hyemalis breeds in the Arctic regions of the northern hemisphere and migrates to temperate climate zones, where it winters in marine environments. The breeding success of the long-tailed duck is affected by the abundances of predators and their main prey species, lemmings Lemmus sibiricus and Dicrostonyx torquatus, whose population fluctuation is subject to climate change. In the winter quarters, long-tailed ducks mainly eat the blue mussel Mytilus edulis. We examined how North-west Siberian lemming dynamics, assumed as a proxy for predation pressure, affect long-tailed duck breeding success and how nutrient availability in the Baltic Sea influences long-tailed duck population size via mussel biomass and quality. Evidence suggests that the long-tailed duck population dynamics was predator-driven on the breeding grounds and resource-driven on the wintering grounds. Nutrients from fertilizer runoff from farmland stimulate mussel stocks and quality, supporting high long-tailed duck population sizes. The applied hierarchical analysis combining several trophic levels can be used for evaluating large-scale environmental factors that affect the population dynamics and abundance of migrants from one environment to another.
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11
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Reinking AK, Højlund Pedersen S, Elder K, Boelman NT, Glass TW, Oates BA, Bergen S, Roberts S, Prugh LR, Brinkman TJ, Coughenour MB, Feltner JA, Barker KJ, Bentzen TW, Pedersen ÅØ, Schmidt NM, Liston GE. Collaborative wildlife–snow science: Integrating wildlife and snow expertise to improve research and management. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adele K. Reinking
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Stine Højlund Pedersen
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alaska Anchorage Anchorage Alaska USA
| | - Kelly Elder
- US Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Natalie T. Boelman
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth Observatory Columbia University Palisades New York USA
| | - Thomas W. Glass
- Wildlife Conservation Society Fairbanks Alaska USA
- Department of Biology and Wildlife University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska USA
| | - Brendan A. Oates
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Ellensburg Washington USA
| | - Scott Bergen
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game Pocatello Idaho USA
| | - Shane Roberts
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game Pocatello Idaho USA
| | - Laura R. Prugh
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences University of Washington Seattle Washington USA
| | - Todd J. Brinkman
- Institute of Arctic Biology University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks Alaska USA
| | - Michael B. Coughenour
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | | | - Kristin J. Barker
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management University of California Berkeley Berkeley California USA
| | | | | | - Niels M. Schmidt
- Department of Bioscience and Arctic Research Centre Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Glen E. Liston
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere Colorado State University Fort Collins Colorado USA
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12
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Rosqvist GC, Inga N, Eriksson P. Impacts of climate warming on reindeer herding require new land-use strategies. AMBIO 2022; 51:1247-1262. [PMID: 34919201 PMCID: PMC8931141 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01655-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2021] [Revised: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate in the Arctic has warmed at a more rapid pace than the global average over the past few decades leading to weather, snow, and ice situations previously unencountered. Reindeer herding is one of the primary livelihoods for Indigenous peoples throughout the Arctic. To understand how the new climate state forces societal adaptation, including new management strategies and needs for preserved, interconnected, undisturbed grazing areas, we coupled changes in temperature, precipitation, and snow depth recorded by automatic weather stations to herder observations of reindeer behaviour in grazing areas of the Laevas Sámi reindeer herding community, northern Sweden. Results show that weather and snow conditions strongly determine grazing opportunities and therefore reindeer response. We conclude that together with the cumulative effects of increased pressures from alternative land use activities, the non-predictable environmental conditions that are uniquely part of the warming climate seriously challenge future reindeer herding in northern Sweden.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gunhild C. Rosqvist
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Pia Eriksson
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
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13
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Haverkamp PJ, Bysykatova-Harmey I, Germogenov N, Schaepman-Strub G. Increasing Arctic Tundra Flooding Threatens Wildlife Habitat and Survival: Impacts on the Critically Endangered Siberian Crane (Grus leucogeranus). FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.799998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate change is causing Arctic temperatures to increase at least twice as fast as the planet on average. Temperature and precipitation are predicted to continue increasing, such that flooding might become more prevalent in the new Arctic. Increased flooding frequency and extreme flooding events may pose new threats to Arctic biodiversity through habitat disturbance and decreased survival. We used the Siberian crane (Grus leucogeranus) as a model organism to investigate how flooding influences nesting habitat availability and juvenile counts. When spring flooding destroys eggs, adults either do not raise any chicks or have reduced time to prepare them for their long migration to China, thus years with extensive flooding could negatively impact future crane generations. We used nest site observation data from 14 surveys between 1995 and 2019, habitat mapping based on Landsat 8 imagery, and species distribution modeling to predict Siberian crane potential nesting habitat. Nesting habitat loss due to extreme flooding was calculated by overlaying this potential nesting habitat with Global Surface Water data. The percent of potential flooded nest sites varied between 6.7–55% across years, with a significant increase between 2001 and 2018. Extreme flood events, as experienced in 2017 and 2018, eliminated almost half of the potential nesting habitat. Importantly, we found that the percentage of flooded nest sites across years was negatively correlated with the number of observed juveniles. The Arctic lowlands are exposed to seasonal water level fluctuations that species have evolved with and adapted to. Siberian cranes and other species depending on Arctic ecosystems are expected to continue adapting to changing flood conditions, but extreme flood events further threaten the long-term survival of critically endangered species. It is imperative to assess how ecosystems and species respond to climatic extremes to support Arctic conservation strategies.
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Moschos V, Dzepina K, Bhattu D, Lamkaddam H, Casotto R, Daellenbach KR, Canonaco F, Rai P, Aas W, Becagli S, Calzolai G, Eleftheriadis K, Moffett CE, Schnelle-Kreis J, Severi M, Sharma S, Skov H, Vestenius M, Zhang W, Hakola H, Hellén H, Huang L, Jaffrezo JL, Massling A, Nøjgaard JK, Petäjä T, Popovicheva O, Sheesley RJ, Traversi R, Yttri KE, Schmale J, Prévôt ASH, Baltensperger U, El Haddad I. Equal abundance of summertime natural and wintertime anthropogenic Arctic organic aerosols. NATURE GEOSCIENCE 2022; 15:196-202. [PMID: 35341076 PMCID: PMC8916957 DOI: 10.1038/s41561-021-00891-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Aerosols play an important yet uncertain role in modulating the radiation balance of the sensitive Arctic atmosphere. Organic aerosol is one of the most abundant, yet least understood, fractions of the Arctic aerosol mass. Here we use data from eight observatories that represent the entire Arctic to reveal the annual cycles in anthropogenic and biogenic sources of organic aerosol. We show that during winter, the organic aerosol in the Arctic is dominated by anthropogenic emissions, mainly from Eurasia, which consist of both direct combustion emissions and long-range transported, aged pollution. In summer, the decreasing anthropogenic pollution is replaced by natural emissions. These include marine secondary, biogenic secondary and primary biological emissions, which have the potential to be important to Arctic climate by modifying the cloud condensation nuclei properties and acting as ice-nucleating particles. Their source strength or atmospheric processing is sensitive to nutrient availability, solar radiation, temperature and snow cover. Our results provide a comprehensive understanding of the current pan-Arctic organic aerosol, which can be used to support modelling efforts that aim to quantify the climate impacts of emissions in this sensitive region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vaios Moschos
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Katja Dzepina
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
- Multiphase Chemistry Department, Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany
- Center for Atmospheric Research, University of Nova Gorica, Ajdovščina, Slovenia
| | - Deepika Bhattu
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
- Department of Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur, Jodhpur, India
| | - Houssni Lamkaddam
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Roberto Casotto
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | | | - Francesco Canonaco
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
- Datalystica Ltd, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Pragati Rai
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Wenche Aas
- Norwegian Institute for Air Research (NILU), Kjeller, Norway
| | - Silvia Becagli
- Department of Chemistry ‘Ugo Schiff’, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Institute of Polar Sciences, ISP-CNR, Venice-Mestre, Italy
| | - Giulia Calzolai
- National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), Florence Division, Florence, Italy
| | | | - Claire E. Moffett
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX USA
| | | | - Mirko Severi
- Department of Chemistry ‘Ugo Schiff’, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Institute of Polar Sciences, ISP-CNR, Venice-Mestre, Italy
| | - Sangeeta Sharma
- Climate Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Canada
| | - Henrik Skov
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Mika Vestenius
- Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Wendy Zhang
- Climate Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Canada
| | - Hannele Hakola
- Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heidi Hellén
- Atmospheric Composition Research, Finnish Meteorological Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Lin Huang
- Climate Research Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jean-Luc Jaffrezo
- Institute of Environmental Geosciences, Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble, France
| | - Andreas Massling
- Department of Environmental Science, iClimate, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Jakob K. Nøjgaard
- The National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Tuukka Petäjä
- Institute for Atmospheric and Earth System Research/Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olga Popovicheva
- Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Rita Traversi
- Department of Chemistry ‘Ugo Schiff’, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
- Institute of Polar Sciences, ISP-CNR, Venice-Mestre, Italy
| | | | - Julia Schmale
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
- Extreme Environments Research Laboratory, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - André S. H. Prévôt
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Urs Baltensperger
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Imad El Haddad
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen, Switzerland
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15
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Historical Trends and Projections of Snow Cover over the High Arctic: A Review. WATER 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/w14040587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Snow is the dominant form of precipitation and the main cryospheric feature of the High Arctic (HA) covering its land, sea, lake and river ice surfaces for a large part of the year. The snow cover in the HA is involved in climate feedbacks that influence the global climate system, and greatly impacts the hydrology and the ecosystems of the coldest biomes of the Northern Hemisphere. The ongoing global warming trend and its polar amplification is threatening the long-term stability of the snow cover in the HA. This study presents an extensive review of the literature on observed and projected snow cover conditions in the High Arctic region. Several key snow cover metrics were reviewed, including snowfall, snow cover duration (SCD), snow cover extent (SCE), snow depth (SD), and snow water equivalent (SWE) since 1930 based on in situ, remote sensing and simulations results. Changes in snow metrics were reviewed and outlined from the continental to the local scale. The reviewed snow metrics displayed different sensitivities to past and projected changes in precipitation and air temperature. Despite the overall increase in snowfall, both observed from historical data and projected into the future, some snow cover metrics displayed consistent decreasing trends, with SCE and SCD showing the most widespread and steady decreases over the last century in the HA, particularly in the spring and summer seasons. However, snow depth and, in some regions SWE, have mostly increased; nevertheless, both SD and SWE are projected to decrease by 2030. By the end of the century, the extent of Arctic spring snow cover will be considerably less than today (10–35%). Model simulations project higher winter snowfall, higher or lower maximum snow depth depending on regions, and a shortened snow season by the end of the century. The spatial pattern of snow metrics trends for both historical and projected climates exhibit noticeable asymmetry among the different HA sectors, with the largest observed and anticipated changes occurring over the Canadian HA.
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16
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Pedersen ÅØ, Beumer LT, Aanes R, Hansen BB. Sea or summit? Wild reindeer spatial responses to changing high‐arctic winters. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Larissa T. Beumer
- Fram Centre Norwegian Polar Institute Tromsø 9296 Norway
- Department of Bioscience Aarhus University Roskilde 4000 Denmark
| | - Ronny Aanes
- Fram Centre Norwegian Polar Institute Tromsø 9296 Norway
| | - Brage B. Hansen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research Trondheim 7485 Norway
- Department of Biology Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics Norwegian University of Science and Technology Trondheim 7491 Norway
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17
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Photobiological Effects on Ice Algae of a Rapid Whole-Fjord Loss of Snow Cover during Spring Growth in Kangerlussuaq, a West Greenland Fjord. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse9080814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Snow cover on sea ice is the most important factor controlling light availability for sea ice algae, but it is predicted by climate models to become more variable and stochastic. Here, we document effects of a sudden, complete loss of the entire snow cover on first-year sea ice at Kangerlussuaq Fjord, West Greenland, due to a natural Föhn wind event that caused a ca. 17 °C air temperature increase over 36 h. We applied Imaging-PAM fluorometry to examine effects of snow cover on algal distribution and photobiology and observed a rapid decrease in algal biomass associated with loss of the skeletal ice crystal layer on the underside of the ice that had supported most of the visible algae. Furthermore, the remaining algae were photobiologically stressed, as seen in a significant decrease in the dark-acclimated fluorescence yield (ΦPSII_max) from 0.55 before snow loss to 0.41 after. However, recovery in the dark suggested that non-photosynthetic quenching was successfully dissipating excess energy in the community and that there was little photodamage. An observed decrease in the photosynthetic efficiency α from 0.22 to 0.16 µmol é m−2 s−1 is therefore likely to be due to photoacclimation and the change in community composition. Centric diatoms and flagellates were the main taxa lost in the snow loss event, whereas the sea ice specialist Nitzschia frigida increased in numbers. These observations are similar to those seen in artificial snow-clearing experiments and consistent with snow clearing being a useful approach for investigating the complex interactions between snow cover, irradiance fluctuations, and ice algal performance.
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18
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Duveiller G, Filipponi F, Ceglar A, Bojanowski J, Alkama R, Cescatti A. Revealing the widespread potential of forests to increase low level cloud cover. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4337. [PMID: 34267204 PMCID: PMC8282670 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24551-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Forests play a key role in humanity's current challenge to mitigate climate change thanks to their capacity to sequester carbon. Preserving and expanding forest cover is considered essential to enhance this carbon sink. However, changing the forest cover can further affect the climate system through biophysical effects. One such effect that is seldom studied is how afforestation can alter the cloud regime, which can potentially have repercussions on the hydrological cycle, the surface radiation budget and on planetary albedo itself. Here we provide a global scale assessment of this effect derived from satellite remote sensing observations. We show that for 67% of sampled areas across the world, afforestation would increase low level cloud cover, which should have a cooling effect on the planet. We further reveal a dependency of this effect on forest type, notably in Europe where needleleaf forests generate more clouds than broadleaf forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory Duveiller
- European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra (VA), Italy.
- Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany.
| | - Federico Filipponi
- European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra (VA), Italy
- Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Roma, Italy
| | - Andrej Ceglar
- European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra (VA), Italy
| | - Jędrzej Bojanowski
- Remote Sensing Centre, Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ramdane Alkama
- European Commission Joint Research Centre, Ispra (VA), Italy
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19
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Snowier winters extend autumn availability of high‐quality forage for caribou in Arctic Alaska. Ecosphere 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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20
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Snow Phenology and Hydrologic Timing in the Yukon River Basin, AK, USA. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13122284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The Yukon River basin encompasses over 832,000 km2 of boreal Arctic Alaska and northwest Canada, providing a major transportation corridor and multiple natural resources to regional communities. The river seasonal hydrology is defined by a long winter frozen season and a snowmelt-driven spring flood pulse. Capabilities for accurate monitoring and forecasting of the annual spring freshet and river ice breakup (RIB) in the Yukon and other northern rivers is limited, but critical for understanding hydrologic processes related to snow, and for assessing flood-related risks to regional communities. We developed a regional snow phenology record using satellite passive microwave remote sensing to elucidate interactions between the timing of upland snowmelt and the downstream spring flood pulse and RIB in the Yukon. The seasonal snow metrics included annual Main Melt Onset Date (MMOD), Snowoff (SO) and Snowmelt Duration (SMD) derived from multifrequency (18.7 and 36.5 GHz) daily brightness temperatures and a physically-based Gradient Ratio Polarization (GRP) retrieval algorithm. The resulting snow phenology record extends over a 29-year period (1988–2016) with 6.25 km grid resolution. The MMOD retrievals showed good agreement with similar snow metrics derived from in situ weather station measurements of snowpack water equivalence (r = 0.48, bias = −3.63 days) and surface air temperatures (r = 0.69, bias = 1 day). The MMOD and SO impact on the spring freshet was investigated by comparing areal quantiles of the remotely sensed snow metrics with measured streamflow quantiles over selected sub-basins. The SO 50% quantile showed the strongest (p < 0.1) correspondence with the measured spring flood pulse at Stevens Village (r = 0.71) and Pilot (r = 0.63) river gaging stations, representing two major Yukon sub-basins. MMOD quantiles indicating 20% and 50% of a catchment under active snowmelt corresponded favorably with downstream RIB (r = 0.61) from 19 river observation stations spanning a range of Yukon sub-basins; these results also revealed a 14–27 day lag between MMOD and subsequent RIB. Together, the satellite based MMOD and SO metrics show potential value for regional monitoring and forecasting of the spring flood pulse and RIB timing in the Yukon and other boreal Arctic basins.
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21
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Wulff A. At the frontier of climate change: Red alert from the European Alps, the Arctic and coral reefs : This article belongs to Ambio's 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Climate change impacts. AMBIO 2021; 50:1123-1129. [PMID: 33650068 PMCID: PMC8068753 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01514-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Angela Wulff
- Department of Biological & Environmental Sciences, Box 461, 405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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22
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Callaghan TV, Johansson M. The rise of the Arctic: Intergenerational personal perspectives : This article belongs to Ambio's 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Climate change impacts. AMBIO 2021; 50:1133-1136. [PMID: 33650065 PMCID: PMC8068743 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-021-01511-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Terry V. Callaghan
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN UK
- Tomsk State University, Lenin Ave, 36, Tomsk, Tomsk Oblast Russia 634050
| | - Margareta Johansson
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Sölvegatan 12, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
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23
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Bjorkman AD, Wulff A. A reflection on four impactful Ambio papers: The biotic perspective : This article belongs to Ambio's 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Climate change impacts. AMBIO 2021; 50:1145-1149. [PMID: 33650069 PMCID: PMC8068746 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01442-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 09/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Climate change represents one of the most pressing societal and scientific challenges of our time. While much of the current research on climate change focuses on future prediction, some of the strongest signals of warming can already be seen in Arctic and alpine areas, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average, and in the oceans, where the combination of rising temperatures and acidification due to increased CO2 concentrations has had catastrophic consequences for sensitive marine organisms inhabiting coral reefs. The scientific papers highlighted as part of this anniversary issue represent some of the most impactful advances in our understanding of the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Here, we reflect on the legacy of these papers from the biotic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne D. Bjorkman
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Carl Skottsbergs gata 22B, 413 19 Gothenburg, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Carl Skottsbergs gata 22B, 413 19 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Angela Wulff
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Carl Skottsbergs gata 22B, 413 19 Gothenburg, Sweden
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24
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Chen D. Impact of climate change on sensitive marine and extreme terrestrial ecosystems: Recent progresses and future challenges : This article belongs to Ambio's 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Climate change impact. AMBIO 2021; 50:1141-1144. [PMID: 33650070 PMCID: PMC8068744 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-020-01446-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is the greatest global threat to ecosystems on the Earth. Previous studies assessed the impacts of climate change on sensitive tropical coral reefs, extreme environments in European Alps and the Arctic with a focus on snow and permafrost. This article reflects on the past developments and future challenges for scientific research and policy response relating to these topics from a peer's perspective. This leads to the identification of several warning signs for potentially dangerous developments in these sensitive system and extreme environments as well as opportunities for research and policy in the future. While urgent actions are required to limit global warming, science-based policy can provide needed guidance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deliang Chen
- Regional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
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25
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Gamboa Bernal GA. Cambio climático: ciencia, política y más. PERSONA Y BIOÉTICA 2021. [DOI: 10.5294/pebi.2021.25.1.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Desde mediados del siglo XX, el ser humano está tomando conciencia de los cambios negativos que se producen en el planeta Tierra, algunos de ellos causados por él mismo, que ponen en peligro su existencia. Uno de esos cambios es el incremento de la temperatura media, ocasionado por el efecto invernadero. La Organización de las Naciones Unidas se hizo cargo de ese problema y ha organizado 25 cumbres sobre el calentamiento global. El Foro Económico Mundial, en 2021, propuso aprovechar la crisis que vive el mundo por el covid-19 para realizar un “gran reinicio”, con el marco de una agenda globalista, que oriente la siguiente reunión sobre el cambio climático. Desde una perspectiva bioética se analizan algunos componentes y estrategias de esa agenda, y se hacen reflexiones y recomendaciones. Se concluye que el cambio climático es un tema real, pero magnificado por la pseudociencia y permeado por la política. Para combatirlo hacen falta estrategias de mitigación y de adecuación, que incluyen avances tecnocientíficos, voluntad política y cambios del comportamiento humano.
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26
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Remote Sensing of Snow Cover Variability and Its Influence on the Runoff of Sápmi’s Rivers. GEOSCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences11030130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The boreal winter 2019/2020 was very irregular in Europe. While there was very little snow in Central Europe, the opposite was the case in northern Fenno-Scandia, particularly in the Arctic. The snow cover was more persistent here and its rapid melting led to flooding in many places. Since the last severe spring floods occurred in the region in 2018, this raises the question of whether more frequent occurrences can be expected in the future. To assess the variability of snowmelt related flooding we used snow cover maps (derived from the DLR’s Global SnowPack MODIS snow product) and freely available data on runoff, precipitation, and air temperature in eight unregulated river catchment areas. A trend analysis (Mann-Kendall test) was carried out to assess the development of the parameters, and the interdependencies of the parameters were examined with a correlation analysis. Finally, a simple snowmelt runoff model was tested for its applicability to this region. We noticed an extraordinary variability in the duration of snow cover. If this extends well into spring, rapid air temperature increases leads to enhanced thawing. According to the last flood years 2005, 2010, 2018, and 2020, we were able to differentiate between four synoptic flood types based on their special hydrometeorological and snow situation and simulate them with the snowmelt runoff model (SRM).
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27
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Glass TW, Breed GA, Liston GE, Reinking AK, Robards MD, Kielland K. Spatiotemporally variable snow properties drive habitat use of an Arctic mesopredator. Oecologia 2021; 195:887-899. [PMID: 33683443 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-04890-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is rapidly altering the composition and availability of snow, with implications for snow-affected ecological processes, including reproduction, predation, habitat selection, and migration. How snowpack changes influence these ecological processes is mediated by physical snowpack properties, such as depth, density, hardness, and strength, each of which is in turn affected by climate change. Despite this, it remains difficult to obtain meaningful snow information relevant to the ecological processes of interest, precluding a mechanistic understanding of these effects. This problem is acute for species that rely on particular attributes of the subnivean space, for example depth, thermal resistance, and structural stability, for key life-history processes like reproduction, thermoregulation, and predation avoidance. We used a spatially explicit snow evolution model to investigate how habitat selection of a species that uses the subnivean space, the wolverine, is related to snow depth, snow density, and snow melt on Arctic tundra. We modeled these snow properties at a 10 m spatial and a daily temporal resolution for 3 years, and used integrated step selection analyses of GPS collar data from 21 wolverines to determine how these snow properties influenced habitat selection and movement. We found that wolverines selected deeper, denser snow, but only when it was not undergoing melt, bolstering the evidence that these snow properties are important to species that use the Arctic snowpack for subnivean resting sites and dens. We discuss the implications of these findings in the context of climate change impacts on subnivean species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas W Glass
- Wildlife Conservation Society, PO Box 751110, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA. .,Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756100, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.
| | - Greg A Breed
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756100, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.,Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Glen E Liston
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, 1375 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Adele K Reinking
- Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, 1375 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Martin D Robards
- Wildlife Conservation Society, PO Box 751110, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | - Knut Kielland
- Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 756100, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA.,Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
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28
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On the Seasonality of the Snow Optical Behaviour at Ny Ålesund (Svalbard Islands, Norway). GEOSCIENCES 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences11030112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Polar areas are the most sensitive targets of climate change. From this perspective, the continuous monitoring of the cryosphere represents a critical need, which, now, we can only partially supply with specific satellite missions. The integration between remote-sensed multi-spectral images and field data is crucial to validate retrieval algorithms and climatological models. The optical behavior of snow, at different wavelengths, provides significant information about the microphysical characteristics of the surface in addition to the spatial distribution of snow/ice covers. This work presents the unmanned apparatus installed at Ny Ålesund (Svalbard) that provides continuous spectral surface albedo. A narrow band device was compared to a full-range system, to remotely sensed data during the 2015 spring/summer period at the Amundsen-Nobile Climate Change Tower. The system was integrated with a camera aimed to acquire sky and ground images. The results confirmed the possibility of making continuous observations of the snow surface and highlighted the opportunity to monitor the spectral variations of snowed surfaces during the melting period.
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Climatic Controls on Mean and Extreme Streamflow Changes Across the Permafrost Region of Canada. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13050626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Climatic change is affecting streamflow regimes of the permafrost region, altering mean and extreme streamflow conditions. In this study, we analyzed historical trends in annual mean flow (Qmean), minimum flow (Qmin), maximum flow (Qmax) and Qmax timing across 84 hydrometric stations in the permafrost region of Canada. Furthermore, we related streamflow trends with temperature and precipitation trends, and used a multiple linear regression (MLR) framework to evaluate climatic controls on streamflow components. The results revealed spatially varied trends across the region, with significantly increasing (at 10% level) Qmin for 43% of stations as the most prominent trend, and a relatively smaller number of stations with significant Qmean, Qmax and Qmax timing trends. Temperatures over both the cold and warm seasons showed significant warming for >70% of basin areas upstream of the hydrometric stations, while precipitation exhibited increases for >15% of the basins. Comparisons of the 1976 to 2005 basin-averaged climatological means of streamflow variables with precipitation and temperature revealed a positive correlation between Qmean and seasonal precipitation, and a negative correlation between Qmean and seasonal temperature. The basin-averaged streamflow, precipitation and temperature trends showed weak correlations that included a positive correlation between Qmin and October to March precipitation trends, and negative correlations of Qmax timing with October to March and April to September temperature trends. The MLR-based variable importance analysis revealed the dominant controls of precipitation on Qmean and Qmax, and temperature on Qmin. Overall, this study contributes towards an enhanced understanding of ongoing changes in streamflow regimes and their climatic controls across the Canadian permafrost region, which could be generalized for the broader pan-Arctic regions.
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Abstract
Bacterial community composition is largely influenced by environmental factors, and this applies to the Arctic region. However, little is known about the role of spatial factors in structuring such communities. In this study, we evaluated the influence of spatial scale on bacterial community structure across an Arctic landscape. Our results showed that spatial factors accounted for approximately 10% of the variation at the landscape scale, equivalent to observations across the whole Arctic region, suggesting that while the role and magnitude of other processes involved in community structure may vary, the role of dispersal may be stable globally in the region. We assessed dispersal limitation by identifying the spatial autocorrelation distance, standing at approximately 60 m, which would be required in order to obtain fully independent samples and may inform future sampling strategies in the region. Finally, indicator taxa with strong statistical correlations with environment variables were identified. However, we showed that these strong taxa-environment associations may not always be reflected in the geographical distribution of these taxa.IMPORTANCE The significance of this study is threefold. It investigated the influence of spatial scale on the soil bacterial community composition across a typical Arctic landscape and demonstrated that conclusions reached when examining the influence of specific environmental variables on bacterial community composition are dependent upon the spatial scales over which they are investigated. This study identified a dispersal limitation (spatial autocorrelation) distance of approximately 60 m, required to obtain samples with fully independent bacterial communities, and therefore, should serve to inform future sampling strategies in the region and potentially elsewhere. The work also showed that strong taxa-environment statistical associations may not be reflected in the observed landscape distribution of the indicator taxa.
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Filipsson K, Bergman E, Greenberg L, Österling M, Watz J, Erlandsson A. Temperature and predator-mediated regulation of plasma cortisol and brain gene expression in juvenile brown trout ( Salmo trutta). Front Zool 2020; 17:25. [PMID: 32874189 PMCID: PMC7456031 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-020-00372-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Temperature affects many aspects of performance in poikilotherms, including how prey respond when encountering predators. Studies of anti-predator responses in fish mainly have focused on behaviour, whereas physiological responses regulated through the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis have received little attention. We examined plasma cortisol and mRNA levels of stress-related genes in juvenile brown trout (Salmo trutta) at 3 and 8 °C in the presence and absence of a piscivorous fish (burbot, Lota lota). Results A redundancy analysis revealed that both water temperature and the presence of the predator explained a significant amount of the observed variation in cortisol and mRNA levels (11.4 and 2.8%, respectively). Trout had higher cortisol levels in the presence than in the absence of the predator. Analyses of individual gene expressions revealed that trout had significantly higher mRNA levels for 11 of the 16 examined genes at 3 than at 8 °C, and for one gene (retinol-binding protein 1), mRNA levels were higher in the presence than in the absence of the predator. Moreover, we found interaction effects between temperature and predator presence for two genes that code for serotonin and glucocorticoid receptors. Conclusions Our results suggest that piscivorous fish elicit primary stress responses in juvenile salmonids and that some of these responses may be temperature dependent. In addition, this study emphasizes the strong temperature dependence of primary stress responses in poikilotherms, with possible implications for a warming climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karl Filipsson
- River Ecology and Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Universitetsgatan 2, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
| | - Eva Bergman
- River Ecology and Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Universitetsgatan 2, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
| | - Larry Greenberg
- River Ecology and Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Universitetsgatan 2, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
| | - Martin Österling
- River Ecology and Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Universitetsgatan 2, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
| | - Johan Watz
- River Ecology and Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Universitetsgatan 2, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
| | - Ann Erlandsson
- River Ecology and Management, Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Universitetsgatan 2, SE-651 88 Karlstad, Sweden
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Niittynen P, Heikkinen RK, Luoto M. Decreasing snow cover alters functional composition and diversity of Arctic tundra. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2020; 117:21480-21487. [PMID: 32778575 PMCID: PMC7474597 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2001254117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Arctic is one of the least human-impacted parts of the world, but, in turn, tundra biome is facing the most rapid climate change on Earth. These perturbations may cause major reshuffling of Arctic species compositions and functional trait profiles and diversity, thereby affecting ecosystem processes of the whole tundra region. Earlier research has detected important drivers of the change in plant functional traits under warming climate, but studies on one key factor, snow cover, are almost totally lacking. Here we integrate plot-scale vegetation data with detailed climate and snow information using machine learning methods to model the responsiveness of tundra communities to different scenarios of warming and snow cover duration. Our results show that decreasing snow cover, together with warming temperatures, can substantially modify biotic communities and their trait compositions, with future plant communities projected to be occupied by taller plants with larger leaves and faster resource acquisition strategies. As another finding, we show that, while the local functional diversity may increase, simultaneous biotic homogenization across tundra communities is likely to occur. The manifestation of climate warming on tundra vegetation is highly dependent on the evolution of snow conditions. Given this, realistic assessments of future ecosystem functioning require acknowledging the role of snow in tundra vegetation models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pekka Niittynen
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland;
| | - Risto K Heikkinen
- Biodiversity Centre, Finnish Environment Institute, FIN-00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Miska Luoto
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland
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Gehrmann F, Lehtimäki IM, Hänninen H, Saarinen T. Sub-Arctic alpine Vaccinium vitis-idaea exhibits resistance to strong variation in snowmelt timing and frost exposure, suggesting high resilience under climatic change. Polar Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-020-02721-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn tundra ecosystems, snow cover protects plants from low temperatures in winter and buffers temperature fluctuations in spring. Climate change may lead to reduced snowfall and earlier snowmelt, potentially exposing plants to more frequent and more severe frosts in the future. Frost can cause cell damage and, in combination with high solar irradiance, reduce the photochemical yield of photosystem II (ΦPSII). Little is known about the natural variation in frost exposure within individual habitats of tundra plant populations and the populations’ resilience to this climatic variation. Here, we assessed how natural differences in snowmelt timing affect microclimatic variability of frost exposure in habitats of the evergreen Vaccinium vitis-idaea in sub-Arctic alpine Finland and whether this variability affects the extent of cell damage and reduction in ΦPSII. Plants in early melting plots were exposed to more frequent and more severe frost events, and exhibited a more pronounced decrease in ΦPSII, during winter and spring compared to plants in late-melting plots. Snowmelt timing did not have a clear effect on the degree of cell damage as assessed by relative electrolyte leakage. Our results show that sub-Arctic alpine V. vitis-idaea is currently exposed to strong climatic variation on a small spatial scale, similar to that projected to be caused by climate change, without significant resultant damage. We conclude that V. vitis-idaea is effective in mitigating the effects of large variations in frost exposure caused by differences in snowmelt timing. This suggests that V. vitis-idaea will be resilient to the ongoing climate change.
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Ghirardo A, Lindstein F, Koch K, Buegger F, Schloter M, Albert A, Michelsen A, Winkler JB, Schnitzler J, Rinnan R. Origin of volatile organic compound emissions from subarctic tundra under global warming. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:1908-1925. [PMID: 31957145 PMCID: PMC7078956 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Warming occurs in the Arctic twice as fast as the global average, which in turn leads to a large enhancement in terpenoid emissions from vegetation. Volatile terpenoids are the main class of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that play crucial roles in atmospheric chemistry and climate. However, the biochemical mechanisms behind the temperature-dependent increase in VOC emissions from subarctic ecosystems are largely unexplored. Using 13 CO2 -labeling, we studied the origin of VOCs and the carbon (C) allocation under global warming in the soil-plant-atmosphere system of contrasting subarctic heath tundra vegetation communities characterized by dwarf shrubs of the genera Salix or Betula. The projected temperature rise of the subarctic summer by 5°C was realistically simulated in sophisticated climate chambers. VOC emissions strongly depended on the plant species composition of the heath tundra. Warming caused increased VOC emissions and significant changes in the pattern of volatiles toward more reactive hydrocarbons. The 13 C was incorporated to varying degrees in different monoterpene and sesquiterpene isomers. We found that de novo monoterpene biosynthesis contributed to 40%-44% (Salix) and 60%-68% (Betula) of total monoterpene emissions under the current climate, and that warming increased the contribution to 50%-58% (Salix) and 87%-95% (Betula). Analyses of above- and belowground 12/13 C showed shifts of C allocation in the plant-soil systems and negative effects of warming on C sequestration by lowering net ecosystem exchange of CO2 and increasing C loss as VOCs. This comprehensive analysis provides the scientific basis for mechanistically understanding the processes controlling terpenoid emissions, required for modeling VOC emissions from terrestrial ecosystems and predicting the future chemistry of the arctic atmosphere. By changing the chemical composition and loads of VOCs into the atmosphere, the current data indicate that global warming in the Arctic may have implications for regional and global climate and for the delicate tundra ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Ghirardo
- Research Unit Environmental Simulation (EUS)Institute of Biochemical Plant PathologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Frida Lindstein
- Terrestrial Ecology SectionDepartment of BiologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Kerstin Koch
- Research Unit Environmental Simulation (EUS)Institute of Biochemical Plant PathologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Franz Buegger
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology (BIOP)Helmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Michael Schloter
- Research Unit for Comparative Microbiome Analysis (COMI)Helmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Andreas Albert
- Research Unit Environmental Simulation (EUS)Institute of Biochemical Plant PathologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Anders Michelsen
- Terrestrial Ecology SectionDepartment of BiologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for PermafrostDepartment of Geoscience and Natural Resource ManagementUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - J. Barbro Winkler
- Research Unit Environmental Simulation (EUS)Institute of Biochemical Plant PathologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Jörg‐Peter Schnitzler
- Research Unit Environmental Simulation (EUS)Institute of Biochemical Plant PathologyHelmholtz Zentrum MünchenNeuherbergGermany
| | - Riikka Rinnan
- Terrestrial Ecology SectionDepartment of BiologyUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- Center for PermafrostDepartment of Geoscience and Natural Resource ManagementUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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May JL, Hollister RD, Betway KR, Harris JA, Tweedie CE, Welker JM, Gould WA, Oberbauer SF. NDVI Changes Show Warming Increases the Length of the Green Season at Tundra Communities in Northern Alaska: A Fine-Scale Analysis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 11:1174. [PMID: 32849728 PMCID: PMC7412972 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.01174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
A warming Arctic has been associated with increases in aboveground plant biomass, specifically shrubs, and changes in vegetation cover. However, the magnitude and direction of changes in NDVI have not been consistent across different tundra types. Here we examine the responsiveness of fine-scale NDVI values to experimental warming at eight sites in northern Alaska, United States. Warming in our eight sites ranged in duration from 2‑23 seasons. Dry, wet and moist tundra communities were monitored for canopy surface temperatures and NDVI in ambient and experimentally-warmed plots at near-daily frequencies during the summer of 2017 to assess the impact of the warming treatment on the magnitude and timing of greening. Experimental warming increased canopy-level surface temperatures across all sites (+0.47 to +3.14˚C), with the strongest warming effect occurring during June and July and for the southernmost sites. Green-up was accelerated by warming at six sites, and autumn senescence was delayed at five sites. Warming increased the magnitude of peak NDVI values at five sites, decreased it at one site, and at two sites it did not change. Warming resulted in earlier peak NDVI at three sites and no significant change in the other sites. Shrub and graminoid cover was positively correlated with the magnitude of peak NDVI (r=0.37 to 0.60) while cryptogam influence was mixed. The magnitude and timing of peak NDVI showed considerable variability across sites. Warming extended the duration of the summer green season at most sites due to accelerated greening in the spring and delayed senescence in the autumn. We show that in a warmer Arctic (as simulated by our experiment) the timing and total period of carbon gain may change. Our results suggest these changes are dependent on community composition and abundance of specific growth forms and therefore will likely impact net primary productivity and trophic interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy L. May
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
- *Correspondence: Jeremy L. May,
| | - Robert D. Hollister
- Department of Biological Sciences, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, United States
| | - Katlyn R. Betway
- Department of Biological Sciences, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, United States
| | - Jacob A. Harris
- Department of Biological Sciences, Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI, United States
| | - Craig E. Tweedie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, United States
| | - Jeffrey M. Welker
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, Finland & UArctic, Oulu, Finland
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, United States
| | - William A. Gould
- USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
| | - Steven F. Oberbauer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, United States
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Takano S, Sugimoto A, Tei S, Liang M, Shingubara R, Morozumi T, Maximov TC. Isotopic compositions of ground ice in near-surface permafrost in relation to vegetation and microtopography at the Taiga-Tundra boundary in the Indigirka River lowlands, northeastern Siberia. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0223720. [PMID: 31600327 PMCID: PMC6786563 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The warming trend in the Arctic region is expected to cause drastic changes including permafrost degradation and vegetation shifts. We investigated the spatial distribution of ice content and stable isotopic compositions of water in near-surface permafrost down to a depth of 1 m in the Indigirka River lowlands of northeastern Siberia to examine how the permafrost conditions control vegetation and microtopography in the Taiga–Tundra boundary ecosystem. The gravimetric water content (GWC) in the frozen soil layer was significantly higher at microtopographically high elevations with growing larch trees (i.e., tree mounds) than at low elevations with wetland vegetation (i.e., wet areas). The observed ground ice (ice-rich layer) with a high GWC in the tree mounds suggests that the relatively elevated microtopography of the land surface, which was formed by frost heave, strongly affects the survival of larch trees. The isotopic composition of the ground ice indicated that equilibrium isotopic fractionation occurred during ice segregation at the tree mounds, which implies that the ice formed with sufficient time for the migration of unfrozen soil water to the freezing front. In contrast, the isotopic data for the wet areas indicated that rapid freezing occurred under relatively non-equilibrium conditions, implying that there was insufficient time for ice segregation to occur. The freezing rate of the tree mounds was slower than that of the wet areas due to the difference of such as soil moisture and snow cover depends on vegetation and microtopography. These results indicate that future changes in snow cover, soil moisture, and organic layer, which control underground thermal conductivity, will have significant impacts on the freezing environment of the ground ice at the Taiga–Tundra boundary in northeastern Siberia. Such changes in the freezing environment will then affect vegetation due to changes in the microtopography of the ground surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinya Takano
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Atsuko Sugimoto
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Global Station for Arctic Research, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia
| | - Shunsuke Tei
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan.,Arctic Research Center, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Maochang Liang
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Ryo Shingubara
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Tomoki Morozumi
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | - Trofim C Maximov
- North-Eastern Federal University in Yakutsk, Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia.,Institute for Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia
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Machín P, Fernández-Elipe J, Hungar J, Angerbjörn A, Klaassen RHG, Aguirre JI. The role of ecological and environmental conditions on the nesting success of waders in sub-Arctic Sweden. Polar Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-019-02544-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Darrouzet‐Nardi A, Steltzer H, Sullivan PF, Segal A, Koltz AM, Livensperger C, Schimel JP, Weintraub MN. Limited effects of early snowmelt on plants, decomposers, and soil nutrients in Arctic tundra soils. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:1820-1844. [PMID: 30847075 PMCID: PMC6392369 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2018] [Revised: 11/03/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
In addition to warming temperatures, Arctic ecosystems are responding to climate change with earlier snowmelt and soil thaw. Earlier snowmelt has been examined infrequently in field experiments, and we lack a comprehensive look at belowground responses of the soil biogeochemical system that includes plant roots, decomposers, and soil nutrients. We experimentally advanced the timing of snowmelt in factorial combination with an open-top chamber warming treatment over a 3-year period and evaluated the responses of decomposers and nutrient cycling processes. We tested two alternative hypotheses: (a) Early snowmelt and warming advance the timing of root growth and nutrient uptake, altering the timing of microbial and invertebrate activity and key nutrient cycling events; and (b) loss of insulating snow cover damages plants, leading to reductions in root growth and altered biological activity. During the 3 years of our study (2010-2012), we advanced snowmelt by 4, 15, and 10 days, respectively. Despite advancing aboveground plant phenology, particularly in the year with the warmest early-season temperatures (2012), belowground effects were primarily seen only on the first sampling date of the season or restricted to particular years or soil type. Overall, consistent and substantial responses to early snowmelt were not observed, counter to both of our hypotheses. The data on soil physical conditions, as well interannual comparisons of our results, suggest that this limited response was because of the earlier date of snowmelt that did not coincide with substantially warmer air and soil temperatures as they might in response to a natural climate event. We conclude that the interaction of snowmelt timing with soil temperatures is important to how the ecosystem will respond, but that 1- to 2-week changes in timing of snowmelt alone are not enough to drive season-long changes in soil microbial and nutrient cycling processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Darrouzet‐Nardi
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of Texas at El PasoEl PasoTexas
- Department of Environmental SciencesUniversity of ToledoToledoOhio
| | | | - Patrick F. Sullivan
- Environment and Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of Alaska AnchorageAnchorageAlaska
| | - Aliza Segal
- Environment and Natural Resources InstituteUniversity of Alaska AnchorageAnchorageAlaska
| | - Amanda M. Koltz
- Department of BiologyWashington University in St. LouisSt. LouisMissouri
| | - Carolyn Livensperger
- Natural Resource Ecology LaboratoryColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColorado
| | - Joshua P. Schimel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine BiologyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCalifornia
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Treharne R, Bjerke JW, Tømmervik H, Stendardi L, Phoenix GK. Arctic browning: Impacts of extreme climatic events on heathland ecosystem CO 2 fluxes. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:489-503. [PMID: 30474169 PMCID: PMC7379734 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2018] [Revised: 10/05/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Extreme climatic events are among the drivers of recent declines in plant biomass and productivity observed across Arctic ecosystems, known as "Arctic browning." These events can cause landscape-scale vegetation damage and so are likely to have major impacts on ecosystem CO2 balance. However, there is little understanding of the impacts on CO2 fluxes, especially across the growing season. Furthermore, while widespread shoot mortality is commonly observed with browning events, recent observations show that shoot stress responses are also common, and manifest as high levels of persistent anthocyanin pigmentation. Whether or how this response impacts ecosystem CO2 fluxes is not known. To address these research needs, a growing season assessment of browning impacts following frost drought and extreme winter warming (both extreme climatic events) on the key ecosystem CO2 fluxes Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE), Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), ecosystem respiration (Reco ) and soil respiration (Rsoil ) was carried out in widespread sub-Arctic dwarf shrub heathland, incorporating both mortality and stress responses. Browning (mortality and stress responses combined) caused considerable site-level reductions in GPP and NEE (of up to 44%), with greatest impacts occurring at early and late season. Furthermore, impacts on CO2 fluxes associated with stress often equalled or exceeded those resulting from vegetation mortality. This demonstrates that extreme events can have major impacts on ecosystem CO2 balance, considerably reducing the carbon sink capacity of the ecosystem, even where vegetation is not killed. Structural Equation Modelling and additional measurements, including decomposition rates and leaf respiration, provided further insight into mechanisms underlying impacts of mortality and stress on CO2 fluxes. The scale of reductions in ecosystem CO2 uptake highlights the need for a process-based understanding of Arctic browning in order to predict how vegetation and CO2 balance will respond to continuing climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachael Treharne
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesThe University of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | - Jarle W. Bjerke
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchHigh North Research Centre for Climate and the EnvironmentTromsøNorway
| | - Hans Tømmervik
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchHigh North Research Centre for Climate and the EnvironmentTromsøNorway
| | | | - Gareth K. Phoenix
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesThe University of SheffieldSheffieldUK
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Multi-Source Based Spatio-Temporal Distribution of Snow in a Semi-Arid Headwater Catchment of Northern Mongolia. GEOSCIENCES 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/geosciences9010053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Knowledge of the duration and distribution of seasonal snow cover is important for understanding the hydrologic regime in mountainous regions within semi-arid climates. In the headwater of the semi-arid Sugnugur catchment (in the Khentii Mountains, northern Mongolia), a spatial analysis of seasonal snow cover duration (SCD) was performed on a 30 m spatial resolution by integrating the spatial resolution of Landsat-7, Landsat-8, and Sentinel-2A images with the daily temporal resolution of Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow products (2000–2017). Validation was achieved using in situ time series measurements from winter field campaigns and distributed surface temperature loggers. We found a mean increase of SCD with altitude at approximately +6 days/100 m. However, we found no altitude-dependent changes in snow depth during field campaigns. The southern exposed valley slopes are either snow free or covered by intermittent snow throughout the winter months due to high sublimation rates and prevailing wind. The estimated mean SCD ranges from 124 days in the lower parts of the catchment to 226 days on the mountain peaks, with a mean underestimation of 12–13 days. Snow onset and melt dates exhibited large inter-annual variability, but no significant trend in the seasonal SCD was evident. This method can be applied to high-resolution snow mapping in similar mountainous regions.
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Zhang Y, Kang S, Gao T, Schmale J, Liu Y, Zhang W, Guo J, Du W, Hu Z, Cui X, Sillanpää M. Dissolved organic carbon in snow cover of the Chinese Altai Mountains, Central Asia: Concentrations, sources and light-absorption properties. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 647:1385-1397. [PMID: 30180345 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Revised: 07/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in snow plays an important role in river ecosystems that are fed by snowmelt water. However, limited knowledge is available on the DOC content in snow of the Chinese Altai Mountains in Central Asia. In this study, DOC in the snow cover of the Kayiertesi river basin, southern slope of Altai Mountains, was investigated during November 2016 to April 2017. The results showed that average concentrations of DOC in the surface snow cover (1.01 ± 0.52 mg L-1) were only a little higher than those in glaciers of the Tibetan Plateau, European Alps, and Alaska, but much higher than in Greenland Ice Sheet. Depth variations of DOC concentrations from snowpack profiles indicated higher values in the surface layer. During the observation period, scavenging efficiency for DOC in snow cover is estimated to be 0.15 ± 0.10, suggesting that DOC in snow can be affected more by the meltwater during ablation season than during accumulation season. The average mass absorption cross section at 365 nm and the absorption Ångström exponent of DOC were 0.45 ± 0.35 m2 g-1 and 2.59 ± 1.03, respectively, with higher values in March and April 2017. Fraction of radiative forcing caused by DOC relative to black carbon accounted for about 10.5%, implying DOC is a non-ignorable light-absorber of solar radiation in snow of the Altai regions. Backward trajectories analysis and aerosol vertical distribution images from satellites showed that DOC in the snow of the Altai Mountains was mainly influenced by air masses from Central Asia, Western Siberia, the Middle East, and some even from Europe. Biomass burning and organic carbon mixed with mineral dust contributed significantly to the DOC concentration. This study highlights the effects of DOC in the snow cover for radiative forcing and the need to study carbon cycling for evaluation of quality of the downstreams ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yulan Zhang
- State key laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; Laboratory of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Mikkeli 50130, Finland
| | - Shichang Kang
- State key laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Tanguang Gao
- Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Julia Schmale
- Laboratory of Atmospheric Chemistry, Paul Scherrer Institute, 5232 Villigen, Switzerland
| | - Yajun Liu
- State key laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan Plateau Earth Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Junming Guo
- State key laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Wentao Du
- State key laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Zhaofu Hu
- State key laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaoqing Cui
- State key laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Mika Sillanpää
- Laboratory of Green Chemistry, Lappeenranta University of Technology, Mikkeli 50130, Finland
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Sivy KJ, Nolin AW, Cosgrove CL, Prugh LR. Critical snow density threshold for Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli). CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Snow cover can significantly impact animal movement and energetics, yet few studies have investigated the link between physical properties of snow and energetic costs. Quantification of thresholds in snow properties that influence animal movement are needed to help address this knowledge gap. Recent population declines of Dall’s sheep (Ovis dalli dalli Nelson, 1884) could be due in part to changing snow conditions. We examined the effect of snow density, snow depth, and snow hardness on sinking depths of Dall’s sheep tracks encountered in Wrangell–St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Snow depth was a poor predictor of sinking depths of sheep tracks (R2 = 0.02, p = 0.38), as was mean weighted hardness (R2 = 0.09, p = 0.07). Across competing models, top layer snow density (0–10 cm) and sheep age class were the best predictors of track sink depths (R2 = 0.58). Track sink depth decreased with increasing snow density, and the snowpack supported the mass of a sheep above a density threshold of 329 ± 18 kg/m3 (mean ± SE). This threshold could aid interpretation of winter movement and energetic costs by animals, thus improving our ability to predict consequences of changing snowpack conditions on wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly J. Sivy
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Anne W. Nolin
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 CEOAS Admin Building, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Christopher L. Cosgrove
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 CEOAS Admin Building, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Laura R. Prugh
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Box 352100, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
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Microbial connectivity and sorting in a High Arctic watershed. ISME JOURNAL 2018; 12:2988-3000. [PMID: 30087410 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-018-0236-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2017] [Revised: 06/09/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Aquatic ecosystems in the High Arctic are facing unprecedented changes as a result of global warming effects on the cryosphere. Snow pack is a central feature of northern landscapes, but the snow microbiome and its microbial connectivity to adjacent and downstream habitats have been little explored. To evaluate these aspects, we sampled along a hydrologic continuum at Ward Hunt Lake (latitude 83°N) in the Canadian High Arctic, from snow banks, water tracks in the permafrost catchment, the upper and lower strata of the lake, and the lake outlet and its coastal marine mixing zone. The microbial communities were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of 16 and 18S rRNA to determine the composition of potentially active Bacteria, Archaea and microbial Eukarya. Each habitat had distinct microbial assemblages, with highest species richness in the subsurface water tracks that connected the melting snow to the lake. However, up to 30% of phylotypes were shared along the hydrologic continuum, showing that many taxa originating from the snow can remain in the active fraction of downstream microbiomes. The results imply that changes in snowfall associated with climate warming will affect microbial community structure throughout all spatially connected habitats within snow-fed polar ecosystems.
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Christiansen CT, Lafreniére MJ, Henry GHR, Grogan P. Long-term deepened snow promotes tundra evergreen shrub growth and summertime ecosystem net CO 2 gain but reduces soil carbon and nutrient pools. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:3508-3525. [PMID: 29411950 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Arctic climate warming will be primarily during winter, resulting in increased snowfall in many regions. Previous tundra research on the impacts of deepened snow has generally been of short duration. Here, we report relatively long-term (7-9 years) effects of experimentally deepened snow on plant community structure, net ecosystem CO2 exchange (NEE), and soil biogeochemistry in Canadian Low Arctic mesic shrub tundra. The snowfence treatment enhanced snow depth from 0.3 to ~1 m, increasing winter soil temperatures by ~3°C, but with no effect on summer soil temperature, moisture, or thaw depth. Nevertheless, shoot biomass of the evergreen shrub Rhododendron subarcticum was near-doubled by the snowfences, leading to a 52% increase in aboveground vascular plant biomass. Additionally, summertime NEE rates, measured in collars containing similar plant biomass across treatments, were consistently reduced ~30% in the snowfenced plots due to decreased ecosystem respiration rather than increased gross photosynthesis. Phosphate in the organic soil layer (0-10 cm depth) and nitrate in the mineral soil layer (15-25 cm depth) were substantially reduced within the snowfences (47-70 and 43%-73% reductions, respectively, across sampling times). Finally, the snowfences tended (p = .08) to reduce mineral soil layer C% by 40%, but with considerable within- and among plot variation due to cryoturbation across the landscape. These results indicate that enhanced snow accumulation is likely to further increase dominance of R. subarcticum in its favored locations, and reduce summertime respiration and soil biogeochemical pools. Since evergreens are relatively slow growing and of low stature, their increased dominance may constrain vegetation-related feedbacks to climate change. We found no evidence that deepened snow promoted deciduous shrub growth in mesic tundra, and conclude that the relatively strong R. subarcticum response to snow accumulation may explain the extensive spatial variability in observed circumpolar patterns of evergreen and deciduous shrub growth over the past 30 years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper T Christiansen
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
- Uni Research Climate, Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research, Bergen, Norway
| | | | - Gregory H R Henry
- Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Paul Grogan
- Department of Biology, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
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Jespersen RG, Leffler AJ, Oberbauer SF, Welker JM. Arctic plant ecophysiology and water source utilization in response to altered snow: isotopic (δ18O and δ2H) evidence for meltwater subsidies to deciduous shrubs. Oecologia 2018; 187:1009-1023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-018-4196-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2017] [Accepted: 06/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Alaska Snowpack Response to Climate Change: Statewide Snowfall Equivalent and Snowpack Water Scenarios. WATER 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/w10050668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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47
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Stehn SE, Roland CA. Concordant community similarity patterns across functional groups in subarctic plant assemblages. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E. Stehn
- Denali National Park and Preserve P.O. Box 9 Denali National Park Alaska 99755 USA
- Central Alaska Network National Park Service 4175 Geist Road Fairbanks Alaska 99709 USA
| | - Carl A. Roland
- Denali National Park and Preserve P.O. Box 9 Denali National Park Alaska 99755 USA
- Central Alaska Network National Park Service 4175 Geist Road Fairbanks Alaska 99709 USA
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Zhang X, Zhai P, Huang J, Zhao X, Dong K. Responses of ecosystem water use efficiency to spring snow and summer water addition with or without nitrogen addition in a temperate steppe. PLoS One 2018. [PMID: 29529082 PMCID: PMC5846795 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0194198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Water use efficiency (WUE) is an important indicator of ecosystem functioning but how ecosystem WUE responds to climate change including precipitation and nitrogen (N) deposition increases is still unknown. To investigate such responses, an experiment with a randomized block design with water (spring snowfall or summer water addition) and nitrogen addition was conducted in a temperate steppe of northern China. We investigated net ecosystem CO2 production (NEP), gross ecosystem production (GEP) and evapotranspiration (ET) to calculate ecosystem WUE (WUEnep = NEP/ET or WUEgep = GEP/ET) under spring snow and summer water addition with or without N addition from 2011 to 2013. The results showed that spring snow addition only had significant effect on ecosystem WUE in 2013 and summer water addition showed positive effect on ecosystem WUE in 2011 and 2013, as their effects on NEP and GEP is stronger than ET. N addition increased ecosystem WUE in 2012 and 2013 both in spring snow addition and summer water addition for its increasing effects on NEP and GEP but no effect on ET. Summer water addition had less but N addition had greater increasing effects on ecosystem WUE as natural precipitation increase indicating that natural precipitation regulates ecosystem WUE responses to water and N addition. Moreover, WUE was tightly related with atmospheric vapor-pressure deficit (VPD), photosynthetic active radiation (PAR), precipitation and soil moisture indicating the regulation of climate drivers on ecosystem WUE. In addition, it also was affected by aboveground net primary production (ANPP). The study suggests that ecosystem WUE responses to water and N addition is determined by the change in carbon process rather than that in water process, which are regulated by climate change in the temperate steppe of northern China.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaolin Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Penghui Zhai
- College of Agriculture, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
| | - Jianhui Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Kuanhu Dong
- College of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Shanxi Agricultural University, Taigu, China
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Remote Sensing of 2000–2016 Alpine Spring Snowline Elevation in Dall Sheep Mountain Ranges of Alaska and Western Canada. REMOTE SENSING 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/rs9111157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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50
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Application of Low-Cost UASs and Digital Photogrammetry for High-Resolution Snow Depth Mapping in the Arctic. REMOTE SENSING 2017. [DOI: 10.3390/rs9111144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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