1
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Podolskiy EA, Ogawa M, Thiebot JB, Johansen KL, Mosbech A. Acoustic monitoring reveals a diel rhythm of an arctic seabird colony (little auk, Alle alle). Commun Biol 2024; 7:307. [PMID: 38491140 PMCID: PMC10942998 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05954-8] [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: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The child-like question of why birds sing in the morning is difficult to answer, especially in polar regions. There, in summer animals live without the time constraints of daylight, and little is known about the rhythmicity of their routines. Moreover, in situ monitoring of animal behavior in remote areas is challenging and rare. Here, we use audio data from Greenland to show that a colony of a key Arctic-breeding seabird, the little auk (Alle alle), erupts with acoustic excitement at night in August, under the midnight sun. We demonstrate that the acoustic activity cycle is consistent with previous direct observations of the feeding and attendance patterns of the little auk. We interpret this pattern as reflecting their foraging activities, but further investigation on fledging and predators is needed. The study demonstrates that acoustic monitoring is a promising alternative to otherwise demanding manual observations of bird colonies in remote Arctic areas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Monica Ogawa
- Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | | | - Anders Mosbech
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
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2
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Limoges A, Ribeiro S, Van Nieuwenhove N, Jackson R, Juggins S, Crosta X, Weckström K. Marine diatoms record Late Holocene regime shifts in the Pikialasorsuaq ecosystem. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:6503-6516. [PMID: 37772765 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16958] [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: 05/21/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
The Pikialasorsuaq (North Water polynya) is an area of local and global cultural and ecological significance. However, over the last decades, the region has been subject to rapid warming, and in some recent years, the seasonal ice arch that has historically defined the polynya's northern boundary has failed to form. Both factors are deemed to alter the polynya's ecosystem functioning. To understand how climate-induced changes to the Pikialasorsuaq impact the basis of the marine food web, we explored diatom community-level responses to changing conditions, from a sediment core spanning the last 3800 years. Four metrics were used: total diatom concentrations, taxonomic composition, mean size, and diversity. Generalized additive model statistics highlight significant changes at ca. 2400, 2050, 1550, 1200, and 130 cal years BP, all coeval with known transitions between colder and warmer intervals of the Late Holocene, and regime shifts in the Pikialasorsuaq. Notably, a weaker/contracted polynya during the Roman Warm Period and Medieval Climate Anomaly caused the diatom community to reorganize via shifts in species composition, with the presence of larger taxa but lower diversity, and significantly reduced export production. This study underlines the high sensitivity of primary producers to changes in the polynya dynamics and illustrates that the strong pulse of early spring cryopelagic diatoms that makes the Pikialasorsuaq exceptionally productive may be jeopardized by rapid warming and associated Nares Strait ice arch destabilization. Future alterations to the phenology of primary producers may disproportionately impact higher trophic levels and keystone species in this region, with implications for Indigenous Peoples and global diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Limoges
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Sofia Ribeiro
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Nicolas Van Nieuwenhove
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | - Rebecca Jackson
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Globe Institute, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Stephen Juggins
- School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Xavier Crosta
- CNRS, EPHE, UMR 5805 EPOC, Université de Bordeaux, Pessac Cedex, France
| | - Kaarina Weckström
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme (ECRU), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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3
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Nagar N, Bartrons M, Brucet S, Davidson TA, Jeppesen E, Grimalt JO. Seabird-mediated transport of organohalogen compounds to remote sites (North West Greenland polynya). THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 827:154219. [PMID: 35240191 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2022] [Revised: 02/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The role of sea birds as carriers of pollutants over long distances was evaluated by analyzing organochlorine and organobromine compounds in lake sediment cores from three remote sites around the North Water polynya (North West Greenland). One lake, NOW5, was in the vicinity of a little auk (Alle alle L.) bird colony, whereas the other two lakes, NOW14 and Q5, were undisturbed by seabirds. The former was strongly acidic (pH = 3.4) but the latter had a pH close to 8. Due to the guano loading, NOW5 exhibited higher chlorophyll concentrations (74 μg/L) than the other two lakes (1.6-3.4 μg/L), higher content of total phosphorous (0.34 mg/L vs. 0.007-0.01 mg/L) and total nitrogen (3.75 mg/L vs. 0.21-0.75 mg/L). The concentrations of all organohalogen compounds were substantially greater in NOW5 than in the other lakes, indicating the strong influence of these seabirds in the transport and deposition of these compounds to remote sites. However, not all compounds showed the same increases. Hexachlorocyclohexanes and endosulfans were more than 18 times higher in NOW5, the drin pesticides and hexachlorobenzene (HCB), between 9.5 and 18 times and DDTs, polybromodiphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorobiphenyls (PCBs) and chlordanes about 2.7-6 times. These differences demonstrated that the bird-mediated deposition has preservation effects of the less stable and more volatile compounds, e.g. those with log Kaw < -2.4, log Koa < 9 and/or log Kow < 6.8. The sedimentary fluxes of PCBs, HCHs, drins, chlordanes, PBDEs, HCB and endosulfans were highest in the upper sediment layer of the polynya lake (year 2014). In contrast, the highest DDT fluxes were found in 1980. These trends indicate that despite restrictions and regulations, bird transport continues to introduce considerable amounts of organohalogen pollutants to the Arctic regions with the exception of DDTs, which show successful decline, even when mediated by bird metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nupur Nagar
- Aquatic Ecology Research Group, University of Vic., de la Laura, 13, 08500-Vic, Catalonia, Spain; Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18, 08034-Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Mireia Bartrons
- Aquatic Ecology Research Group, University of Vic., de la Laura, 13, 08500-Vic, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Sandra Brucet
- Aquatic Ecology Research Group, University of Vic., de la Laura, 13, 08500-Vic, Catalonia, Spain; ICREA, Catalan Institution for Research and Additional Studies, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010-Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Thomas A Davidson
- Department of Ecoscience and Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej, 25, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Erik Jeppesen
- Department of Ecoscience and Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej, 25, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark; Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Room N501, UCAS Teaching Building, Zhongguancun Campus, Zhongguancun South 1st Alley, Haidian District, Beijing 100190, People's Republic of China; Limnology Laboratory, Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Ecosystem Research and Implementation, Middle East Technical University, 06800-Ankara, Turkey; Institute of Marine Sciences, Middle East Technical University, 33731-Mersin, Turkey
| | - Joan O Grimalt
- Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), Jordi Girona, 18, 08034-Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
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4
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Smyshlyaeva OI, Severova EE, Krylovich OA, Kuzmicheva EA, Savinetsky AB, Dixie W, Hatfield V. Ornithogenic vegetation: How significant has the seabird influence been on the Aleutian Island vegetation during the Holocene? Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14088-14100. [PMID: 34707842 PMCID: PMC8525163 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Aleutian Islands during the Holocene, terrestrial predators were actually absent; as a result, large seabird colonies thrived along the coasts or across entire islands. Bird guano enriches the soil with nitrogen, which can lead to the formation of highly modified ornithogenic (bird-formed) ecosystems. For a more detailed investigation of avian influence, we reconstructed more than 10,000-year-old vegetation dynamics of the coast of Shemya Island (Near Islands) by pollen analysis. At the initial stages of vegetation development (10,000-4,600 cal year BP), sedge-heather tundra grew in the studied area. A seabird colony existed on Shemya from 4,600 to 2,400 cal year BP according to stable isotope analysis. During a period of at least 2,200 years, nitrogen enrichment led to the development of ornithogenic herb meadows with a high presence of Apiaceae. A long-term increase in δ15N above 9-10‰ led to radical shifts in vegetation. Noticeable reduction of seabird colonies due to human hunting led to grass-meadows spreading. After a prolonged decrease δ15N below 9-10‰ (2,400 cal year BP to present), there was a shift toward less productive sedge-tundra communities. However, the significant enrichment of guano affected only the coastal vegetation and did not alter the inland Shemya Island.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olesya Igorevna Smyshlyaeva
- Laboratory of Historical EcologySevertsov Institute of Ecology and EvolutionRussian Academy of SciencesMoscowRussia
| | - Elena Erastovna Severova
- Biology FacultyDepartment of Higher PlantsLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscowRussia
- Faculty of Biology and BiotechnologiesNational Research University Higher School of EconomicsMoscowRussia
| | - Olga Aleksandrovna Krylovich
- Laboratory of Historical EcologySevertsov Institute of Ecology and EvolutionRussian Academy of SciencesMoscowRussia
| | | | - Arkady Borisovich Savinetsky
- Laboratory of Historical EcologySevertsov Institute of Ecology and EvolutionRussian Academy of SciencesMoscowRussia
| | - West Dixie
- Biodiversity InstituteUniversity of KansasLawrenceKSUSA
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5
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Duda MP, Hargan KE, Michelutti N, Blais JM, Grooms C, Gilchrist HG, Mallory ML, Robertson GJ, Smol JP. Reconstructing Long-Term Changes in Avian Populations Using Lake Sediments: Opening a Window Onto the Past. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.698175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The lack of long-term monitoring data for many wildlife populations is a limiting factor in establishing meaningful and achievable conservation goals. Even for well-monitored species, time series are often very short relative to the timescales required to understand a population’s baseline conditions before the contemporary period of increased human impacts. To fill in this critical information gap, techniques have been developed to use sedimentary archives to provide insights into long-term population dynamics over timescales of decades to millennia. Lake and pond sediments receiving animal inputs (e.g., feces, feathers) typically preserve a record of ecological and environmental information that reflects past changes in population size and dynamics. With a focus on bird-related studies, we review the development and use of several paleolimnological proxies to reconstruct past colony sizes, including trace metals, isotopes, lipid biomolecules, diatoms, pollen and non-pollen palynomorphs, invertebrate sub-fossils, pigments, and others. We summarize how animal-influenced sediments, cored from around the world, have been successfully used in addressing some of the most challenging questions in conservation biology, namely: How dynamic are populations on long-term timescales? How may populations respond to climate change? How have populations responded to human intrusion? Finally, we conclude with an assessment of the current state of the field, challenges to overcome, and future potential for research.
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6
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Ribeiro S, Limoges A, Massé G, Johansen KL, Colgan W, Weckström K, Jackson R, Georgiadis E, Mikkelsen N, Kuijpers A, Olsen J, Olsen SM, Nissen M, Andersen TJ, Strunk A, Wetterich S, Syväranta J, Henderson ACG, Mackay H, Taipale S, Jeppesen E, Larsen NK, Crosta X, Giraudeau J, Wengrat S, Nuttall M, Grønnow B, Mosbech A, Davidson TA. Vulnerability of the North Water ecosystem to climate change. Nat Commun 2021; 12:4475. [PMID: 34294719 PMCID: PMC8298575 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24742-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
High Arctic ecosystems and Indigenous livelihoods are tightly linked and exposed to climate change, yet assessing their sensitivity requires a long-term perspective. Here, we assess the vulnerability of the North Water polynya, a unique seaice ecosystem that sustains the world’s northernmost Inuit communities and several keystone Arctic species. We reconstruct mid-to-late Holocene changes in sea ice, marine primary production, and little auk colony dynamics through multi-proxy analysis of marine and lake sediment cores. Our results suggest a productive ecosystem by 4400–4200 cal yrs b2k coincident with the arrival of the first humans in Greenland. Climate forcing during the late Holocene, leading to periods of polynya instability and marine productivity decline, is strikingly coeval with the human abandonment of Greenland from c. 2200–1200 cal yrs b2k. Our long-term perspective highlights the future decline of the North Water ecosystem, due to climate warming and changing sea-ice conditions, as an important climate change risk. The North Water polynya is a unique but vulnerable ecosystem, home to Indigenous people and Arctic keystone species. New palaeoecological records from Greenland suggest human abandonment c. 2200–1200 cal yrs BP occurred during climate-forced polynya instability, foreshadowing future ecosystem declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Ribeiro
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Audrey Limoges
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Earth Sciences, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada
| | - Guillaume Massé
- Université Laval, CNRS, UMI 3376 TAKUVIK, Québec City, QC, Canada.,Station Marine de Concarneau, CNRS, UMR7159 LOCEAN, Concarneau, France
| | - Kasper L Johansen
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Center, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - William Colgan
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kaarina Weckström
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme (ECRU), and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Helsinki University, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rebecca Jackson
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Eleanor Georgiadis
- Université Laval, CNRS, UMI 3376 TAKUVIK, Québec City, QC, Canada.,Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5805 EPOC, Pessac, France
| | - Naja Mikkelsen
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Antoon Kuijpers
- Department of Glaciology and Climate, Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jesper Olsen
- Aarhus AMS Centre (AARAMS), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | | | - Martin Nissen
- Agency for Data Supply and Efficiency, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thorbjørn J Andersen
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Københav, Denmark
| | - Astrid Strunk
- Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Sebastian Wetterich
- Department of Permafrost Research, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jari Syväranta
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Jovensuu, Finland
| | - Andrew C G Henderson
- School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Helen Mackay
- School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.,Department of Geography, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Sami Taipale
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Nanoscience center, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Erik Jeppesen
- Lake Group & Arctic Research Centre, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Silkeborg, Denmark.,Department of Biological Sciences and Centre for Ecosystem Research and Implementation, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.,Sino Danish Centre for education and Research, Beijing, China
| | - Nicolaj K Larsen
- Department of Geoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Centre for GeoGenetics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Xavier Crosta
- Université de Bordeaux, CNRS, UMR 5805 EPOC, Pessac, France
| | | | - Simone Wengrat
- Department of Biology, Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Mark Nuttall
- Pinngortitaleriffik/Greenland Institute for Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland.,University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | | | - Anders Mosbech
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Center, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Thomas A Davidson
- Lake Group & Arctic Research Centre, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Silkeborg, Denmark.
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7
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Hastrup K. The End of Nature? Inughuit Life on the Edge of Time. ETHNOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00141844.2020.1853583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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8
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Holocene polynya dynamics and their interaction with oceanic heat transport in northernmost Baffin Bay. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10095. [PMID: 33980864 PMCID: PMC8114930 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88517-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Baffin Bay hosts the largest and most productive of the Arctic polynyas: the North Water (NOW). Despite its significance and active role in water mass formation, the history of the NOW beyond the observational era remains poorly known. We reconcile the previously unassessed relationship between long-term NOW dynamics and ocean conditions by applying a multiproxy approach to two marine sediment cores from the region that, together, span the Holocene. Declining influence of Atlantic Water in the NOW is coeval with regional records that indicate the inception of a strong and recurrent polynya from ~ 4400 yrs BP, in line with Neoglacial cooling. During warmer Holocene intervals such as the Roman Warm Period, a weaker NOW is evident, and its reduced capacity to influence bottom ocean conditions facilitated northward penetration of Atlantic Water. Future warming in the Arctic may have negative consequences for this vital biological oasis, with the potential knock-on effect of warm water penetration further north and intensified melt of the marine-terminating glaciers that flank the coast of northwest Greenland.
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9
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Limoges A, Weckström K, Ribeiro S, Georgiadis E, Hansen KE, Martinez P, Seidenkrantz M, Giraudeau J, Crosta X, Massé G. Learning from the past: Impact of the Arctic Oscillation on sea ice and marine productivity off northwest Greenland over the last 9,000 years. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:6767-6786. [PMID: 32885894 PMCID: PMC7756419 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2020] [Revised: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 08/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming is rapidly reshaping the Arctic cryosphere and ocean conditions, with consequences for sea ice and pelagic productivity patterns affecting the entire marine food web. To predict how ongoing changes will impact Arctic marine ecosystems, concerted effort from various disciplines is required. Here, we contribute multi-decadal reconstructions of changes in diatom production and sea-ice conditions in relation to Holocene climate and ocean conditions off northwest Greenland. Our multiproxy study includes diatoms, sea-ice biomarkers (IP25 and HBI III) and geochemical tracers (TOC [total organic carbon], TOC:TN [total nitrogen], δ13 C, δ15 N) from a sediment core record spanning the last c. 9,000 years. Our results suggest that the balance between the outflow of polar water from the Arctic, and input of Atlantic water from the Irminger Current into the West Greenland Current is a key factor in controlling sea-ice conditions, and both diatom phenology and production in northeastern Baffin Bay. Our proxy record notably shows that changes in sea-surface conditions initially forced by Neoglacial cooling were dynamically amplified by the shift in the dominant phase of the Arctic Oscillation (AO) mode that occurred at c. 3,000 yr BP, and caused drastic changes in community composition and a decline in diatom production at the study site. In the future, with projected dominant-positive AO conditions favored by Arctic warming, increased water column stratification may counteract the positive effect of a longer open-water growth season and negatively impact diatom production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey Limoges
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of New BrunswickFrederictonNBCanada
| | - Kaarina Weckström
- Ecosystems and Environment Research Programme (ECRU), and Helsinki Institute of Sustainability ScienceHelsinki UniversityHelsinkiFinland
| | - Sofia Ribeiro
- Department of Glaciology and ClimateGeological Survey of Denmark and GreenlandCopenhagenDenmark
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Xavier Crosta
- Université de BordeauxCNRSEPHEUMR 5805 EPOCPessacFrance
| | - Guillaume Massé
- Université LavalCNRSUMI 3376 TAKUVIKQuébecQCCanada
- Station Marine de ConcarneauUMR7159 LOCEANConcarneauFrance
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10
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Groff DV, Hamley KM, Lessard TJR, Greenawalt KE, Yasuhara M, Brickle P, Gill JL. Seabird establishment during regional cooling drove a terrestrial ecosystem shift 5000 years ago. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:6/43/eabb2788. [PMID: 33097535 PMCID: PMC7608832 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb2788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The coastal tussac (Poa flabellata) grasslands of the Falkland Islands are a critical seabird breeding habitat but have been drastically reduced by grazing and erosion. Meanwhile, the sensitivity of seabirds and tussac to climate change is unknown because of a lack of long-term records in the South Atlantic. Our 14,000-year multiproxy record reveals an ecosystem state shift following seabird establishment 5000 years ago, as marine-derived nutrients from guano facilitated tussac establishment, peat productivity, and increased fire. Seabird arrival coincided with regional cooling, suggesting that the Falkland Islands are a cold-climate refugium. Conservation efforts focusing on tussac restoration should include this terrestrial-marine linkage, although a warming Southern Ocean calls into question the long-term viability of the Falkland Islands as habitat for low-latitude seabirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dulcinea V Groff
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming 82071, USA.
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
- Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Kit M Hamley
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
- Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | - Trevor J R Lessard
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
- Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
| | | | - Moriaki Yasuhara
- School of Biological Sciences and Swire Institute of Marine Science, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Paul Brickle
- South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute, Ross Road, Stanley FIQQ 1ZZ, Falkland Islands
- School of Biological Sciences (Zoology), University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, Scotland, UK
| | - Jacquelyn L Gill
- School of Biology and Ecology, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA.
- Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
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11
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Gąsiorowski M, Sienkiewicz E. Bird population changes reconstructed from isotopic signals of peat developed in a nutrient enriched tundra. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 646:1359-1366. [PMID: 30235621 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.07.453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2018] [Revised: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Five peat sequences were studied to identify the time the little auk Alle alle colonies originated in the Hornsund area (Spitsbergen). Elemental and stable isotope analysis of nitrogen and carbon was applied as markers for bird activity. The peat sequences were dated with 210Pb and radiocarbon methods. The results showed that peat development related to seabird activity is significantly older (at least 300 years old) in localities closer to the fjord's mouth (west) than those located deeper in the fjord (east), which are ~100 years old. Isotopic signals indicated that bird activity in the western localities decreased simultaneously with the growth of the eastern colonies. Colonization by birds of new localities correlated with the termination of the Little Ice Age and the meaningful decrease in the glacier area of the region. Hence, we suggest that the availability of new localities for nesting in talus cones, nival moraines and lateral moraines on gentle mountain slopes with south-eastern exposition attracted the little auk due to better thermal conditions, isolation from strong westerly winds and better protection from predation by gull Larus hyperboreus. The expansion of little auks to the new localities was fast (20-30 yrs), and there are no records of changes in bird impacts on the tundra environment after 1920.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał Gąsiorowski
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda St. 51/55, PL-00818 Warszawa, Poland.
| | - Elwira Sienkiewicz
- Institute of Geological Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda St. 51/55, PL-00818 Warszawa, Poland
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12
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Hastrup K, Andersen AO, Grønnow B, Heide-Jørgensen MP. Life around the North Water ecosystem: Natural and social drivers of change over a millennium. AMBIO 2018. [PMID: 29520750 PMCID: PMC5963562 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1028-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
The formation of the North Water in Smith Sound about 4500 years ago, as evidenced by the establishment of bird colonies and human presence, also initiated a long-term anthropogenic agent as part of this High Arctic ecosystem. Different epochs have influenced the human occupation in the area: immigration pulses from Canada and Alaska, trade with meteorite iron throughout the Arctic, introduction of new technologies by whalers and explorers, exploitation of resources by foreigners, political sequestration, export of fox and seal skins and later narwhal products, and recently fishing. Physical drivers in terms of weather and climate affecting the northern hemisphere also impact accessibility and productivity of the ecosystem, with cascading effects on social drivers, again acting back on the natural ecologies. Despite its apparent isolation, the ecosystem had and still has wide ranging spatial ramifications that extend beyond the High Arctic, and include human activity. The challenge is to determine what is internal and what is external to an ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten Hastrup
- Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Astrid Oberborbeck Andersen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
- Department of Learning and Philosophy, The Techno-Anthropology Research Group, Kroghstræde 3, Building 4249, 9220 Aalborg Ø, Denmark
| | - Bjarne Grønnow
- The National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, c/o Greenland Representation, Strandgade 91, 2, Postbox 1915, 1016 Copenhagen K, Denmark
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Mosbech A, Johansen KL, Davidson TA, Appelt M, Grønnow B, Cuyler C, Lyngs P, Flora J. On the crucial importance of a small bird: The ecosystem services of the little auk (Alle alle) population in Northwest Greenland in a long-term perspective. AMBIO 2018; 47:226-243. [PMID: 29516440 PMCID: PMC6524626 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1035-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The little auk is the most numerous seabird in the North Atlantic and its most important breeding area is the eastern shores of the North Water polynya. Here, a population of an estimated 33 million pairs breeds in huge colonies and significantly shapes the ecosystem. Archaeological remains in the colonies document that the little auk has been harvested over millennia. Anthropological research discloses how the little auk has a role both as social engineer and as a significant resource for the Inughuit today. The hunting can be practiced without costly equipment, and has no gender and age discrimination in contrast to the dominant hunt for marine mammals. Little auks are ecological engineers in the sense that they transport vast amounts of nutrients from sea to land, where the nutrients are deposited as guano. Here, the fertilized vegetation provides important foraging opportunities for hares, geese, fox, reindeer, and the introduced muskox. We estimate that the relative muskox density is ten times higher within 1 km of little auk fertilized vegetation hotspots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anders Mosbech
- Present Address: Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Kasper Lambert Johansen
- Present Address: Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Thomas A. Davidson
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Martin Appelt
- The National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Bjarne Grønnow
- The National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christine Cuyler
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, P.O. Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Peter Lyngs
- Christiansø Biological Fieldstation, Christiansø 97, 3760 Gudhjem, Denmark
| | - Janne Flora
- Present Address: Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
- Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen, Denmark
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Jeppesen E, Appelt M, Hastrup K, Grønnow B, Mosbech A, Smol JP, Davidson TA. Living in an oasis: Rapid transformations, resilience, and resistance in the North Water Area societies and ecosystems. AMBIO 2018; 47:296-309. [PMID: 29520749 PMCID: PMC5963568 DOI: 10.1007/s13280-018-1034-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Based on lake sediment data, archaeological findings, and historical records, we describe rapid transformations, resilience and resistance in societies and ecosystems, and their interactions in the past in the North Water area related to changes in climate and historical events. Examples are the formation of the polynya itself and the early arrival of people, ca. 4500 years ago, and later major human immigrations (different societies, cultural encounters, or abandonment) from other regions in the Arctic. While the early immigrations had relatively modest and localised effect on the ecosystem, the later-incoming culture in the early thirteenth century was marked by extensive migrations into and out of the area and abrupt shifts in hunting technologies. This has had long-lasting consequences for the local lake ecosystems. Large natural transformations in the ecosystems have also occurred over relatively short time periods related to changes in the polynya. Finally, we discuss the future perspectives for the North Water area given the many threats, but also opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik Jeppesen
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
| | - Martin Appelt
- The National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Kirsten Hastrup
- Department of Anthropology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Farimagsgade 5, 1353 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Bjarne Grønnow
- The National Museum of Denmark, Frederiksholms Kanal 12, 1220 Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Anders Mosbech
- Department of Bioscience, Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - John P. Smol
- Department of Biology, PEARL, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6 Canada
| | - Thomas A. Davidson
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Vejlsøvej 25, 8600 Silkeborg, Denmark
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