1
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Seok MW, Ko YH, Park KT, Kim TW. Possible enhancement in ocean productivity associated with wildfire-derived nutrient and black carbon deposition in the Arctic Ocean in 2019-2021. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 201:116149. [PMID: 38364527 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116149] [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: 10/28/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024]
Abstract
The Arctic is severely affected by climate change and various forms of environmental pollution. Enriched with nutrients and light-absorbing compounds, the wildfire plume has the potential to affect biological carbon fixation and sequestration within the Arctic Ocean. In this study, we utilized satellite-derived oceanic data (phytoplankton and sea ice) and atmospheric reanalysis products (black carbon, BC, indicative of wildfire impact) to evaluate the effect of the pronounced increase in wildfires from 2019 to 2021 on the East Siberian Sea. During these years, chlorophyll-a levels rose by ∼213 % compared to the previous decadal average, which had notably lower wildfire activities. This increase in chlorophyll-a is attributable to the deposition of nitrogen from the wildfire plume. Concurrently, the period required for sea ice concentration to decrease by 25 % was on average ∼ 10 days shorter than usual. This suggests that BC-induced acceleration of sea ice melting might extend the growing season for phytoplankton.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min-Woo Seok
- Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Young Ho Ko
- OJeong Resilience Institute, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Ki-Tae Park
- Division of Polar Climate Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea; now at Department of Environmental Sciences and Biotechnology, Hallym University, Chuncheon, Gangwon-do 24252, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Wook Kim
- Division of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; OJeong Resilience Institute, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
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2
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Frey KE, Comiso JC, Stock LV, Young LNC, Cooper LW, Grebmeier JM. A comprehensive satellite-based assessment across the Pacific Arctic Distributed Biological Observatory shows widespread late-season sea surface warming and sea ice declines with significant influences on primary productivity. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0287960. [PMID: 37432919 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Massive declines in sea ice cover and widespread warming seawaters across the Pacific Arctic region over the past several decades have resulted in profound shifts in marine ecosystems that have cascaded throughout all trophic levels. The Distributed Biological Observatory (DBO) provides sampling infrastructure for a latitudinal gradient of biological "hotspot" regions across the Pacific Arctic region, with eight sites spanning the northern Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas. The purpose of this study is two-fold: (a) to provide an assessment of satellite-based environmental variables for the eight DBO sites (including sea surface temperature (SST), sea ice concentration, annual sea ice persistence and the timing of sea ice breakup/formation, chlorophyll-a concentrations, primary productivity, and photosynthetically available radiation (PAR)) as well as their trends across the 2003-2020 time period; and (b) to assess the importance of sea ice presence/open water for influencing primary productivity across the region and for the eight DBO sites in particular. While we observe significant trends in SST, sea ice, and chlorophyll-a/primary productivity throughout the year, the most significant and synoptic trends for the DBO sites have been those during late summer and autumn (warming SST during October/November, later shifts in the timing of sea ice formation, and increases in chlorophyll-a/primary productivity during August/September). Those DBO sites where significant increases in annual primary productivity over the 2003-2020 time period have been observed include DBO1 in the Bering Sea (37.7 g C/m2/year/decade), DBO3 in the Chukchi Sea (48.0 g C/m2/year/decade), and DBO8 in the Beaufort Sea (38.8 g C/m2/year/decade). The length of the open water season explains the variance of annual primary productivity most strongly for sites DBO3 (74%), DBO4 in the Chukchi Sea (79%), and DBO6 in the Beaufort Sea (78%), with DBO3 influenced most strongly with each day of additional increased open water (3.8 g C/m2/year per day). These synoptic satellite-based observations across the suite of DBO sites will provide the legacy groundwork necessary to track additional and inevitable future physical and biological change across the region in response to ongoing climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen E Frey
- Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Josefino C Comiso
- Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Larry V Stock
- Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Luisa N C Young
- Graduate School of Geography, Clark University, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Lee W Cooper
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Jacqueline M Grebmeier
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, Maryland, United States of America
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3
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Bromaghin JF, Douglas DC, Durner GM, Simac KS, Atwood TC. Survival and abundance of polar bears in Alaska's Beaufort Sea, 2001-2016. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14250-14267. [PMID: 34707852 PMCID: PMC8525099 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The Arctic Ocean is undergoing rapid transformation toward a seasonally ice-free ecosystem. As ice-adapted apex predators, polar bears (Ursus maritimus) are challenged to cope with ongoing habitat degradation and changes in their prey base driven by food-web response to climate warming. Knowledge of polar bear response to environmental change is necessary to understand ecosystem dynamics and inform conservation decisions. In the southern Beaufort Sea (SBS) of Alaska and western Canada, sea ice extent has declined since satellite observations began in 1979 and available evidence suggests that the carrying capacity of the SBS for polar bears has trended lower for nearly two decades. In this study, we investigated the population dynamics of polar bears in Alaska's SBS from 2001 to 2016 using a multistate Cormack-Jolly-Seber mark-recapture model. States were defined as geographic regions, and we used location data from mark-recapture observations and satellite-telemetered bears to model transitions between states and thereby explain heterogeneity in recapture probabilities. Our results corroborate prior findings that the SBS subpopulation experienced low survival from 2003 to 2006. Survival improved modestly from 2006 to 2008 and afterward rebounded to comparatively high levels for the remainder of the study, except in 2012. Abundance moved in concert with survival throughout the study period, declining substantially from 2003 and 2006 and afterward fluctuating with lower variation around an average of 565 bears (95% Bayesian credible interval [340, 920]) through 2015. Even though abundance was comparatively stable and without sustained trend from 2006 to 2015, polar bears in the Alaska SBS were less abundant over that period than at any time since passage of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act. The potential for recovery is likely limited by the degree of habitat degradation the subpopulation has experienced, and future reductions in carrying capacity are expected given current projections for continued climate warming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Todd C. Atwood
- U.S. Geological SurveyAlaska Science CenterAnchorageAKUSA
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4
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Spatial Patterns of Macromolecular Composition of Phytoplankton in the Arctic Ocean. WATER 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/w13182495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The macromolecular concentrations and compositions of phytoplankton are crucial for the growth or nutritional structure of higher trophic levels through the food web in the ecosystem. To understand variations in macromolecular contents of phytoplankton, we investigated the macromolecular components of phytoplankton and analyzed their spatial pattern on the Chukchi Shelf and the Canada Basin. The carbohydrate (CHO) concentrations on the Chukchi Shelf and the Canada Basin were 50.4–480.8 μg L−1 and 35.2–90.1 μg L−1, whereas the lipids (LIP) concentrations were 23.7–330.5 μg L−1 and 11.7–65.6 μg L−1, respectively. The protein (PRT) concentrations were 25.3–258.5 μg L−1 on the Chukchi Shelf and 2.4–35.1 μg L−1 in the Canada Basin. CHO were the predominant macromolecules, accounting for 42.6% on the Chukchi Shelf and 60.5% in the Canada Basin. LIP and PRT contributed to 29.7% and 27.7% of total macromolecular composition on the Chukchi Shelf and 30.8% and 8.7% in the Canada Basin, respectively. Low PRT concentration and composition in the Canada Basin might be a result from the severe nutrient-deficient conditions during phytoplankton growth. The calculated food material concentrations were 307.8 and 98.9 μg L−1, and the average calorie contents of phytoplankton were 1.9 and 0.6 kcal m−3 for the Chukchi Shelf and the Canada Basin, respectively, which indicates the phytoplankton on the Chukchi Shelf could provide the large quantity of food material and high calories to the higher trophic levels. Overall, our results highlight that the biochemical compositions of phytoplankton are considerably different in the regions of the Arctic Ocean. More studies on the changes in the biochemical compositions of phytoplankton are still required under future environmental changes.
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5
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Skovrind M, Louis M, Westbury MV, Garilao C, Kaschner K, Castruita JAS, Gopalakrishnan S, Knudsen SW, Haile JS, Dalén L, Meshchersky IG, Shpak OV, Glazov DM, Rozhnov VV, Litovka DI, Krasnova VV, Chernetsky AD, Bel'kovich VM, Lydersen C, Kovacs KM, Heide-Jørgensen MP, Postma L, Ferguson SH, Lorenzen ED. Circumpolar phylogeography and demographic history of beluga whales reflect past climatic fluctuations. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:2543-2559. [PMID: 33825233 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Several Arctic marine mammal species are predicted to be negatively impacted by rapid sea ice loss associated with ongoing ocean warming. However, consequences for Arctic whales remain uncertain. To investigate how Arctic whales responded to past climatic fluctuations, we analysed 206 mitochondrial genomes from beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) sampled across their circumpolar range, and four nuclear genomes, covering both the Atlantic and the Pacific Arctic region. We found four well-differentiated mitochondrial lineages, which were established before the onset of the last glacial expansion ~110 thousand years ago. Our findings suggested these lineages diverged in allopatry, reflecting isolation of populations during glacial periods when the Arctic sea-shelf was covered by multiyear sea ice. Subsequent population expansion and secondary contact between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans shaped the current geographic distribution of lineages, and may have facilitated mitochondrial introgression. Our demographic reconstructions based on both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes showed markedly lower population sizes during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) compared to the preceding Eemian and current Holocene interglacial periods. Habitat modelling similarly revealed less suitable habitat during the LGM (glacial) than at present (interglacial). Together, our findings suggested the association between climate, population size, and available habitat in belugas. Forecasts for year 2100 showed that beluga habitat will decrease and shift northwards as oceans continue to warm, putatively leading to population declines in some beluga populations. Finally, we identified vulnerable populations which, if extirpated as a consequence of ocean warming, will lead to a substantial decline of species-wide haplotype diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marie Louis
- GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | - Kristin Kaschner
- Department of Biometry and Environmental System Analysis, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Steen Wilhelm Knudsen
- NIVA Denmark Water Research, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - James S Haile
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Love Dalén
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ilya G Meshchersky
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Olga V Shpak
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry M Glazov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Viatcheslav V Rozhnov
- A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Dennis I Litovka
- Office of Governor and Government of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Anadyr, Russia
| | - Vera V Krasnova
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | - Anton D Chernetsky
- Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Science, Moscow, Russia
| | | | | | | | - Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.,Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Lianne Postma
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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6
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Jimenez V, Burns JA, Le Gall F, Not F, Vaulot D. No evidence of Phago-mixotropy in Micromonas polaris (Mamiellophyceae), the Dominant Picophytoplankton Species in the Arctic. JOURNAL OF PHYCOLOGY 2021; 57:435-446. [PMID: 33394518 DOI: 10.1111/jpy.13125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 11/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
In the Arctic Ocean, the small green alga Micromonas polaris dominates picophytoplankton during the summer months but is also present in winter. It has been previously hypothesized to be phago-mixotrophic (capable of bacteria ingestion) based on laboratory and field experiments. Prey uptake was analyzed in several M. polaris strains isolated from different regions and depths of the Arctic Ocean and in Ochromonas triangulata, a known phago-mixotroph used as a control. Measuring ingestion of either fluorescent beads or fluorescently labeled bacteria by flow cytometry, we found no evidence of phago-mixotrophy in any M. polaris strain while O. triangulata was ingesting both beads and bacteria. In addition, in silico predictions revealed that members of the genus Micromonas lack a genetic signature of phagocytotic capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeria Jimenez
- Ecology of Marine Plankton, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, 29680, France
| | - John A Burns
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA
| | - Florence Le Gall
- Ecology of Marine Plankton, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, 29680, France
| | - Fabrice Not
- Ecology of Marine Plankton, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, 29680, France
| | - Daniel Vaulot
- Ecology of Marine Plankton, Sorbonne Université, CNRS, UMR7144, Station Biologique de Roscoff, Roscoff, 29680, France
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
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7
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Grzelak K, Gluchowska M, Kędra M, Błażewicz M. Nematode responses to an Arctic sea-ice regime: morphometric characteristics and biomass size spectra. MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2020; 162:105181. [PMID: 33091683 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 10/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Body size is one of the most important traits of organisms that affects their behavioral life histories, physiologies, and energy requirements. For sediment-dwelling organisms, such as free-living nematodes, body size is a direct adaptation for living in sediments with a particular particle size, but other environmental factors, e.g., water depth and food availability, directly or indirectly shape nematode morphology. Nevertheless, our knowledge of meiofaunal organisms sizes still lags far behind that of other aquatic fauna, particularly for high-latitude fauna. Therefore, to gain insight into the nematode community size structure, we investigated eight stations located in the seasonal sea-ice zone north of Svalbard (Yermak Plateau, Nansen Basin, and Northern Svalbard shelf) during Arctic spring. Sample locations covered a wide depth gradient, different sea-ice concentrations and subsequent bloom stages. Our study provides previously unavailable data on nematode morphometry for this Arctic region during ecologically important spring to summer transition times. We analyzed nematode biomass, body shape and morphometric attributes, along with respective feeding types and life stage information. Our results show that differences in nematode densities, biomass and allometric attributes most likely reflect differences in the flux of organic material to the seafloor and in the biogeochemical properties of the sediments. Nematode assemblages appeared to respond to spatial gradients in ice cover duration and therefore pelagic productivity from the northern Svalbard shelf to the Yermak Plateau as evidenced by decreasing density, biomass and body size. Considering the entire community, as well as different life stages, average individual body weight decreased northward. Biomass dominance in the lower weight classes and the significantly lower abundance of long and thick morphotype nematodes observed on the Yermak Plateau than in the two other regions were striking. This was in contrast with the assemblage observed on the shelf, where prevailing environmental conditions influenced the presence of other morphotypes - markedly longer and wider organisms. Ongoing changes in sea-ice cover and primary production in the Arctic may significantly affect nematode functioning, as they are expected to have pronounced impacts on nematode morphological characteristics. In this regard, the size-based approach becomes a useful tool for detecting changes in the community and has important implications for predicting the direction of change with regard to benthic productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta Gluchowska
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland
| | - Monika Kędra
- Institute of Oceanology Polish Academy of Sciences, Sopot, Poland
| | - Magdalena Błażewicz
- University of Łódź, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Laboratory of Polar Biology and Oceanobiology, Łódź, Poland
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8
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Age- and sex-specific movement, behaviour and habitat-use patterns of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. Polar Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-020-02739-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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9
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Henley SF, Porter M, Hobbs L, Braun J, Guillaume-Castel R, Venables EJ, Dumont E, Cottier F. Nitrate supply and uptake in the Atlantic Arctic sea ice zone: seasonal cycle, mechanisms and drivers. PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. SERIES A, MATHEMATICAL, PHYSICAL, AND ENGINEERING SCIENCES 2020; 378:20190361. [PMID: 32862810 PMCID: PMC7481658 DOI: 10.1098/rsta.2019.0361] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Nutrient supply to the surface ocean is a key factor regulating primary production in the Arctic Ocean under current conditions and with ongoing warming and sea ice losses. Here we present seasonal nitrate concentration and hydrographic data from two oceanographic moorings on the northern Barents shelf between autumn 2017 and summer 2018. The eastern mooring was sea ice-covered to varying degrees during autumn, winter and spring, and was characterized by more Arctic-like oceanographic conditions, while the western mooring was ice-free year-round and showed a greater influence of Atlantic water masses. The seasonal cycle in nitrate dynamics was similar under ice-influenced and ice-free conditions, with biological nitrate uptake beginning near-synchronously in early May, but important differences between the moorings were observed. Nitrate supply to the surface ocean preceding and during the period of rapid drawdown was greater at the ice-free more Atlantic-like western mooring, and nitrate drawdown occurred more slowly over a longer period of time. This suggests that with ongoing sea ice losses and Atlantification, the expected shift from more Arctic-like ice-influenced conditions to more Atlantic-like ice-free conditions is likely to increase nutrient availability and the duration of seasonal drawdown in this Arctic shelf region. The extent to which this increased nutrient availability and longer drawdown periods will lead to increases in total nitrate uptake, and support the projected increases in primary production, will depend on changes in upper ocean stratification and their effect on light availability to phytoplankton as changes in climate and the physical environment proceed. This article is part of the theme issue 'The changing Arctic Ocean: consequences for biological communities, biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sian F. Henley
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, James Hutton Road, Edinburgh EH9 3FE, UK
- e-mail:
| | - Marie Porter
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK
| | - Laura Hobbs
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow G1 1XH, UK
| | - Judith Braun
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK
| | | | | | - Estelle Dumont
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK
| | - Finlo Cottier
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK
- Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, 9037 Tromsø, Norway
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10
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Mechanisms of Persistent High Primary Production During the Growing Season in the Chukchi Sea. Ecosystems 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-020-00559-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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11
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Cusset F, Fort J, Mallory M, Braune B, Massicotte P, Massé G. Arctic seabirds and shrinking sea ice: egg analyses reveal the importance of ice-derived resources. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15405. [PMID: 31659198 PMCID: PMC6817817 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51788-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 10/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In the Arctic, sea-ice plays a central role in the functioning of marine food webs and its rapid shrinking has large effects on the biota. It is thus crucial to assess the importance of sea-ice and ice-derived resources to Arctic marine species. Here, we used a multi-biomarker approach combining Highly Branched Isoprenoids (HBIs) with δ13C and δ15N to evaluate how much Arctic seabirds rely on sea-ice derived resources during the pre-laying period, and if changes in sea-ice extent and duration affect their investment in reproduction. Eggs of thick-billed murres (Uria lomvia) and northern fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) were collected in the Canadian Arctic during four years of highly contrasting ice conditions, and analysed for HBIs, isotopic (carbon and nitrogen) and energetic composition. Murres heavily relied on ice-associated prey, and sea-ice was beneficial for this species which produced larger and more energy-dense eggs during icier years. In contrast, fulmars did not exhibit any clear association with sympagic communities and were not impacted by changes in sea ice. Murres, like other species more constrained in their response to sea-ice variations, therefore appear more sensitive to changes and may become the losers of future climate shifts in the Arctic, unlike more resilient species such as fulmars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fanny Cusset
- UMI Takuvik, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
| | - Jérôme Fort
- LIENSs, UMR 7266, CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 2 Rue Olympe de Gouges, 17000, La Rochelle, France
| | - Mark Mallory
- Biology Department, Acadia University, 15 University Avenue, Wolfville, NS, B4P 2R6, Canada
| | - Birgit Braune
- Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre, Carleton University, Raven Road, Ottawa, ON, K1A 0H3, Canada
| | - Philippe Massicotte
- UMI Takuvik, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Guillaume Massé
- UMI Takuvik, Département de Biologie, Université Laval, 1045 Avenue de la Médecine, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.,LOCEAN, UMR 7159, CNRS, MNHN, IRD, Sorbonne-Université, Station Marine de Concarneau, BP225, 29900, Concarneau, France
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12
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Yun MS, Joo HM, Kang JJ, Park JW, Lee JH, Kang SH, Sun J, Lee SH. Potential Implications of Changing Photosynthetic End-Products of Phytoplankton Caused by Sea Ice Conditions in the Northern Chukchi Sea. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2274. [PMID: 31632378 PMCID: PMC6783801 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The recent dramatic decline in sea ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean has led to the ecophysiological changes in the phytoplankton community. Little is currently known about how the physiological status of phytoplankton has changed under rapidly changing environmental conditions in the Arctic Ocean. Using the 13C isotope tracer technique, the carbon allocation of phytoplankton into different photosynthetic end-products was determined in the northern Chukchi Sea on the basis of two Arctic expeditions conducted in 2011 and 2012 to identify the physiological status of phytoplankton. Lipids were the predominant photosynthetic biochemical fraction (42.5%) in 2011, whereas carbon allocation to proteins was most dominant under ice-free conditions in 2012 (47.7%). Based on a comparison of the photosynthetic carbon allocation of phytoplankton according to sea ice conditions, we found that photosynthetic carbon allocation to different macromolecular pools was significantly different depending on the sea ice conditions and that the light conditions caused by different sea ice conditions could be an important reason for the differences in carbon allocation to photosynthetic end-products. Different dominant phytoplankton groups related to size classes also could cause changes in the photosynthetic carbon allocation of phytoplankton related mainly to the lipid synthesis. Our results showed that the physiological status of Arctic phytoplankton could be changed by producing different photosynthetic end-products under current environmental changes. This change in photosynthetic end-products of phytoplankton as a basic food source could be further linked to higher trophic levels in regards to their nutritional and energetic aspects, which could have potential consequences for Arctic marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mi Sun Yun
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.,Department of Oceanography, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Hyoung Min Joo
- Division of Polar Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Jae Joong Kang
- Department of Oceanography, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Jung Woo Park
- Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Jae Hyung Lee
- Department of Oceanography, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
| | - Sung-Ho Kang
- Division of Polar Ocean Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, South Korea
| | - Jun Sun
- College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China.,Tianjin Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Chemistry, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, China
| | - Sang H Lee
- Department of Oceanography, Pusan National University, Busan, South Korea
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13
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Macias-Fauria M, Post E. Effects of sea ice on Arctic biota: an emerging crisis discipline. Biol Lett 2019; 14:rsbl.2017.0702. [PMID: 29563280 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The rapid decline in Arctic sea ice (ASI) extent, area and volume during recent decades is occurring before we can understand many of the mechanisms through which ASI interacts with biological processes both at sea and on land. As a consequence, our ability to predict and manage the effects of this enormous environmental change is limited, making this a crisis discipline Here, we propose a framework to study these effects, defining direct effects as those acting on life-history events of Arctic biota, and indirect effects, where ASI acts upon biological systems through chains of events, normally involving other components of the physical system and/or biotic interactions. Given the breadth and complexity of ASI's effects on Arctic biota, Arctic research requires a truly multidisciplinary approach to address this issue. In the absence of effective global efforts to tackle anthropogenic global warming, ASI will likely continue to decrease, compromising the conservation of many ASI-related taxonomic groups and ecosystems. Mitigation actions will rely heavily on the knowledge acquired on the mechanisms and components involved with the biological effects of ASI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marc Macias-Fauria
- School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Eric Post
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616-8571, USA
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Feng Z, Ji R, Ashjian C, Campbell R, Zhang J. Biogeographic responses of the copepod Calanus glacialis to a changing Arctic marine environment. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:e159-e170. [PMID: 28869698 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Dramatic changes have occurred in the Arctic Ocean over the past few decades, especially in terms of sea ice loss and ocean warming. Those environmental changes may modify the planktonic ecosystem with changes from lower to upper trophic levels. This study aimed to understand how the biogeographic distribution of a crucial endemic copepod species, Calanus glacialis, may respond to both abiotic (ocean temperature) and biotic (phytoplankton prey) drivers. A copepod individual-based model coupled to an ice-ocean-biogeochemical model was utilized to simulate temperature- and food-dependent life cycle development of C. glacialis annually from 1980 to 2014. Over the 35-year study period, the northern boundaries of modeled diapausing C. glacialis expanded poleward and the annual success rates of C. glacialis individuals attaining diapause in a circumpolar transition zone increased substantially. Those patterns could be explained by a lengthening growth season (during which time food is ample) and shortening critical development time (the period from the first feeding stage N3 to the diapausing stage C4). The biogeographic changes were further linked to large-scale oceanic processes, particularly diminishing sea ice cover, upper ocean warming, and increasing and prolonging food availability, which could have potential consequences to the entire Arctic shelf/slope marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixuan Feng
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Rubao Ji
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Carin Ashjian
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Robert Campbell
- Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI, USA
| | - Jinlun Zhang
- Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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15
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Climate warming drives large-scale changes in ecosystem function. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:12100-12102. [PMID: 29093162 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1717090114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Abstract
Climate change triggers poleward shifts in species distribution leading to changes in biogeography. In the marine environment, fish respond quickly to warming, causing community-wide reorganizations, which result in profound changes in ecosystem functioning. Functional biogeography provides a framework to address how ecosystem functioning may be affected by climate change over large spatial scales. However, there are few studies on functional biogeography in the marine environment, and none in the Arctic, where climate-driven changes are most rapid and extensive. We investigated the impact of climate warming on the functional biogeography of the Barents Sea, which is characterized by a sharp zoogeographic divide separating boreal from Arctic species. Our unique dataset covered 52 fish species, 15 functional traits, and 3,660 stations sampled during the recent warming period. We found that the functional traits characterizing Arctic fish communities, mainly composed of small-sized bottom-dwelling benthivores, are being rapidly replaced by traits of incoming boreal species, particularly the larger, longer lived, and more piscivorous species. The changes in functional traits detected in the Arctic can be predicted based on the characteristics of species expected to undergo quick poleward shifts in response to warming. These are the large, generalist, motile species, such as cod and haddock. We show how functional biogeography can provide important insights into the relationship between species composition, diversity, ecosystem functioning, and environmental drivers. This represents invaluable knowledge in a period when communities and ecosystems experience rapid climate-driven changes across biogeographical regions.
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17
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Kahru M, Lee Z, Mitchell BG, Nevison CD. Effects of sea ice cover on satellite-detected primary production in the Arctic Ocean. Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0223. [PMID: 27881759 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2016] [Accepted: 10/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The influence of decreasing Arctic sea ice on net primary production (NPP) in the Arctic Ocean has been considered in multiple publications but is not well constrained owing to the potentially large errors in satellite algorithms. In particular, the Arctic Ocean is rich in coloured dissolved organic matter (CDOM) that interferes in the detection of chlorophyll a concentration of the standard algorithm, which is the primary input to NPP models. We used the quasi-analytic algorithm (Lee et al 2002 Appl. Opti. 41, 5755-5772. (doi:10.1364/AO.41.005755)) that separates absorption by phytoplankton from absorption by CDOM and detrital matter. We merged satellite data from multiple satellite sensors and created a 19 year time series (1997-2015) of NPP. During this period, both the estimated annual total and the summer monthly maximum pan-Arctic NPP increased by about 47%. Positive monthly anomalies in NPP are highly correlated with positive anomalies in open water area during the summer months. Following the earlier ice retreat, the start of the high-productivity season has become earlier, e.g. at a mean rate of -3.0 d yr-1 in the northern Barents Sea, and the length of the high-productivity period has increased from 15 days in 1998 to 62 days in 2015. While in some areas, the termination of the productive season has been extended, owing to delayed ice formation, the termination has also become earlier in other areas, likely owing to limited nutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mati Kahru
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Zhongping Lee
- School for the Environment, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA
| | - B Greg Mitchell
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
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18
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Mendoza WG, Weiss EL, Schieber B, Greg Mitchell B. Controls on the distribution of fluorescent dissolved organic matter during an under-ice algal bloom in the western Arctic Ocean. GLOBAL BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES 2017; 31:1118-1140. [PMID: 28989231 PMCID: PMC5606507 DOI: 10.1002/2016gb005569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2016] [Revised: 06/02/2017] [Accepted: 06/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In this study we used fluorescence excitation and emission matrix spectroscopy, hydrographic data, and a self-organizing map (SOM) analysis to assess the spatial distribution of labile and refractory fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) for the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas at the time of a massive under-ice phytoplankton bloom during early summer 2011. Biogeochemical properties were assessed through decomposition of water property classes and sample classification that employed a SOM neural network-based analysis which classified 10 clusters from 269 samples and 17 variables. The terrestrial, humic-like component FDOM (ArC1, 4.98 ± 1.54 Quinine Sulfate Units (QSU)) and protein-like component FDOM (ArC3, 1.63 ± 0.88 QSU) were found to have elevated fluorescence in the Lower Polar Mixed Layer (LPML) (salinity ~29.56 ± 0.76). In the LPML water mass, the observed contribution of meteoric water fraction was 17%, relative to a 12% contribution from the sea ice melt fraction. The labile ArC3-protein-like component (2.01 ± 1.92 QSU) was also observed to be elevated in the Pacific Winter Waters mass, where the under-ice algal bloom was observed (~40-50 m). We interpreted these relationships to indicate that the accumulation and variable distribution of the protein-like component on the shelf could be influenced directly by sea ice melt, transport, and mixing processes and indirectly by the in situ algal bloom and microbial activity. ArC5, corresponding to what is commonly considered marine humic FDOM, indicated a bimodal distribution with high values in both the freshest and saltiest waters. The association of ArC5 with deep, dense salty water is consistent with this component as refractory humic-like FDOM, whereas our evidence of a terrestrial origin challenges this classic paradigm for this component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wilson G. Mendoza
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
- Atlantic Ecology Division, NHEERLU.S. Environmental Protection AgencyNarragansettRhode IslandUSA
| | - Elliot L. Weiss
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - Brian Schieber
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
| | - B. Greg Mitchell
- Scripps Institution of OceanographyUniversity of California, San DiegoLa JollaCaliforniaUSA
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Ware JV, Rode KD, Bromaghin JF, Douglas DC, Wilson RR, Regehr EV, Amstrup SC, Durner GM, Pagano AM, Olson J, Robbins CT, Jansen HT. Habitat degradation affects the summer activity of polar bears. Oecologia 2017; 184:87-99. [PMID: 28247129 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-017-3839-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/09/2017] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Understanding behavioral responses of species to environmental change is critical to forecasting population-level effects. Although climate change is significantly impacting species' distributions, few studies have examined associated changes in behavior. Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) subpopulations have varied in their near-term responses to sea ice decline. We examined behavioral responses of two adjacent subpopulations to changes in habitat availability during the annual sea ice minimum using activity data. Location and activity sensor data collected from 1989 to 2014 for 202 adult female polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea (SB) and Chukchi Sea (CS) subpopulations were used to compare activity in three habitat types varying in prey availability: (1) land; (2) ice over shallow, biologically productive waters; and (3) ice over deeper, less productive waters. Bears varied activity across and within habitats with the highest activity at 50-75% sea ice concentration over shallow waters. On land, SB bears exhibited variable but relatively high activity associated with the use of subsistence-harvested bowhead whale carcasses, whereas CS bears exhibited low activity consistent with minimal feeding. Both subpopulations had fewer observations in their preferred shallow-water sea ice habitats in recent years, corresponding with declines in availability of this substrate. The substantially higher use of marginal habitats by SB bears is an additional mechanism potentially explaining why this subpopulation has experienced negative effects of sea ice loss compared to the still-productive CS subpopulation. Variability in activity among, and within, habitats suggests that bears alter their behavior in response to habitat conditions, presumably in an attempt to balance prey availability with energy costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine V Ware
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7620, USA.
| | - Karyn D Rode
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Jeffrey F Bromaghin
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - David C Douglas
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 250 Egan Drive, Juneau, AK, 99801, USA
| | - Ryan R Wilson
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, MS 341, Anchorage, AK, 99503, USA
| | - Eric V Regehr
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, MS 341, Anchorage, AK, 99503, USA
| | | | - George M Durner
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Anthony M Pagano
- Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 4210 University Dr., Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Jay Olson
- Department of Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University, 5049 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Charles T Robbins
- School of the Environment and School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-4236, USA
| | - Heiko T Jansen
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, 99164-7620, USA
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