Arctic Biogeography

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Arctic Biogeography TREE vol. 7, no. 6, June 1992 reviews 1277 ---- 119911 Nature 353. 255-258 ArtifiCial Ufe fSiJntiJ Fe In5tirute Studie5 in ISdnta Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences 10 Menge. B.A. and Olson.....M. (1990) the Sdence5 of Complexity. Vol. 61 of Complexity. Vol. 61 (Langton. CG.. ed.l, Trends frol. CVf)/. 5. 52_57 ILangton. C.G" ed.l. pp. 105-124. pp. 63-11. Addison-Wesley 11 .... lIeo, T.r.H. and Sfarf, T.B. 11982) Addi&an-Wesley H Sklar. F.H. and COStanza. R.lllXlOI in Hierilrchy: Perspectives for EcologlCilf 12 Hogeweg. P. and Hesper. B, (1989) in Ouantitative Methods in undscape Complex.ity. Unfversity of Chicago Press Modelling and Simu/iJrion Methodofogy Ecolo£y /Ecological Studies. Vol. 851 12 O'Nelll. R.V.. DeAngelis. D.L.. Waide. I,B. IEllas. MS.. Oren. TJ. and Zeigler. B.P.. (Turner. M.G. and Gardner. R.H .. edsl. and Allen. T.F.H.119851 A Hierarchical edsl. pp. 77-92. Elsevier pp. 239-2811. Springer-Verlag COn/:ept of Ecosystems, Princeton 23 Wasserman. P.O. 119891 NeuriJ/ 34 Costanu. R., Sklar. F.H. and Day. I.W. University Press Computing: Theory and Pr3Ctice. Chapman 119901 BioScience 40. 91-107 , 13 Costanza. R. and Maxwell. T. feo/. & Hall l5 Haslett. I.H.ll'l901 Trends £co/, Eve'. 5. Mode/. lin pressl H Hogeweg. P. and Hesper. B. (19901 214-218 14 Hard. R.M.11990) Parallel Math. Comput. Mode/. 13. 83-90 36 Coulson, R.N. et al. (1990) 111 \ Supercomputing in SJMD Architectures. 25 Huston. M.• DeAngelis. D. and Post. W. Ouantitative Methods in LiJndscape eRe Press II981U BioScience 38. 682~9O Ecology {Ecological Studies. Vol. 85/ 15 Hillis, W.O. (19851 The Connection 26 Hara. T. (19831 Trends Ecof, Evo/. 3. (Tumer, M.G. alld Gardner. R.H .• eds). Machine, MIT Press 129-133 pp. 153-112. Springer-Verlag I: 16 Toffoli. T. and Margulis, N.119871 27 DeAngelis. D.L. t 19881 Ern/. Model. 4), 31 Taylor. CE.. Jefferson. D.R.. Turner. 5.R Cellular AUfOmata Machines: A New 57-73 and Go)dman. 5.E.1I9881 in Art,-fbiJl Life Envlronmenr for Modellf",. MIT Press JS Olivieri. I.. Couvet. D. and Gouyon. P-H. ISat1ta Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences 17 Hubennan. B.A.• ed.11988) The EcoJoffY 11990) Trends Ecol. Evol. 5. 207-210 of Complexity. Vol. 6J (Lane:ton. CG.. ed.l. I' of ComplJt.)!i... ~ Elsevier 20 "','nl',,'~, "I:- 1''''1(,1 Crowth"nd " .... :c-- ..,,,- ., '··~n"· >~•••\. 1," ,;, ' ....,·'''.''11 ,.~ !~1 , fir.. l:i ,-_ £eol. £>01. i. 36-1" )0 u,.. "v",".~. 11\1...01 Oi~05 ,;. ~2-1.'1 UI,"-_'.', ;. '.. ". i •. ,;: .ed.i. 20 Hogeweg. P. (19881 App/. Math. Compul. )1 U1.ano",'''. R.C t 19&'IJ CeDI. Mood. 4). 1->;'. :.,:-}io. AJJj,,,n·'.V,,~I,,y 27.81-100 45--5-6 )i Hogeweg. P.and Hesper. B.1198Sl :11 Tamayo. P. and Hartman. H. (Iml in ), P;ll:l'l'. H.t!, 119Ml in Anifiei;:,! Life ). Tlicor. Ciol. II J. J 11-3Jv Arctic Biogeography: The Pcli'cldvx t."~ ,...~ ~ -~,J T(I<" ,,:),:.:< ["'::{I:·' f,liol.: a'l.1 f:~r<J I~ll: nf M rine vr" ill{labil Ine shallw arclic subliHorill ZOIlt' comprist' a relatiwly young marine as­ semblllge characterized by species of eilner Flora PacifiC or AI/anlic affinity and notably few endemics. The young character of near­ Ken Dunton shore arctic communilits, as wtll as thtir biogeographical composition, is largely a product 0( the Pltistount gla{iatioll. How­ Arctic Ocean marine benthic biogeographic origins of the marine ever. allalysis of mort rtetnt colftdions alld communities are distinctive in benthic fauna and flora throughout comparison btlwren IHe origins of the that they are composed of a the Arctic. benlnic fauna and flora prrstnl somt relatively young fauna comprising Previous faunistic and floristic inttresling parado:us 10 biogeographers. species of Pacific and/or Atlan­ analyses of the arctic biota were One enigma is tht low !rtqutnc!! of a/gal tic affinity and few endemicsu . based on available checklists of species wilH Pacific affinilies in 'ht Arclic, These characteristics have been animals and seaweeds from various esptciall!l in Ine Cnukcni. Beaufort and cited repeatedly in zoogeographic disparate geographic regions. More East Sibtrian Stas of tht Eastern Arctic. studies of various taxonomic groups. extensive surveys of the arctic sub­ l whiCH rtceivt direc' inputs of nOrlnlllard­ including polychaetes , seastars' littoral biota have been completed nowing Pacific waltrs. In contraS!. animal and bivalve molluscs~. The marine in recent years, butmuch ofthis data specits with Pacific affinities art Iound benthic vegetation of the Arctic remains unpublished or is located Ihroughoul If1t ntalSnOrt regions of the also contains few endemics. yet in relatively inaccessible Russian Arctic, reaCHing tntir highesl frrqutncy it appears to be characterized by literature. Consequently. the ab­ in the marginal seas bttwttn the Nell' species of predominantly Atlantic sence of data from these collections Sibtriall Islands and the Gmadian Archi­ affinity in both the Amerasian 6 and hampers biogeographic investi­ pelago. Organization of published and Eurasian7.3 sectors of the Arctic. The gations. As part of this review, and unpub/iShtd data. additional fitld colltc­ low number of endemics and the in collaboration with several sys­ lions. and Ihe useo! dadislics and mo/teu/ar variable predominance of species tematists, I gathered information DNA ItehlliqutS by systematists are Q high with Atlantic or Pacific aftin itieshave from these databases and the Rus­ priority for future research in reconstructing often been cited as evidence that sian literature ITables 1 and 21 and the ewlution of tne arclic biotic assrm&lage. the geographic distribution of the compiled regional checklists for arctic biota remains in a highly the seaweeds and benthic invert­ dynamic state and is not in ebrates. Here. I review these 'new' Ken Dunton is at the University of Texas at Austin. equilibrium6.9·lo. Even more interest· data, discuss the factors that have Marine SCience Institute. Pon: Aransas. TX 7~H3, ing but not previously noted is influenced the spread and estab­ US~ the appatent difference in the lishment of marine benthic biota 183 " . TREE vol. 7, no. 6, June J992 TI T~bIe I. SUIlUUfJ oIl11i1jor ptlbIiHed ud InptlbliHtd qWlDtJtatlYe SlIn'ey5 of the beftlilk: IUMt fallU of ttle uiillIow ndk Rlbllnam lODe siDce 1970 Regia... Depth Period of Reference raoge survey Iml the North Pacific from both arctic Alaskan Chukchi Sea 0-16 197~1977 51 and tropical waters also facilitated Alaskan Beaufort Sea 197~19BO 51 (he development of cool-water biota 0-'. that started to evolve at least 40 C"nadian Beaufort Sea 0-00 1984-1988 M. Lawrence (pe~. commun.) million years before the North Canaaian Atc.~ipel.J;o 0-55 197~1983 52 Atlantic lost its subtropical charac­ Franz Josef Land lMl8 1970 53 ter. The rich boreal taxa of the North New Siberian Islal'lds 0-32 1973 34 Pacific later became an important East Siber'ian Sea 0-15 1986 A.N. Golikov (pel"$. commun.) seed stock for the late Cenozoic (Chau... Bayl invasion or the Arctic OCean and North Atlantic during the submerg~ ence of the Bering Land Bridge". The first additions of Atlantic ldAa \from the northemmostextenston of Table 2. Summary of major published and unpllbllshtd collections a( the bt'nthk Nflne alcott of the a developing North Atlantic) to (he MCtic SlIb1ltton.1 lOne Arctic Ocean flora and fauna may Regio... Depth Oates of Reference have occurred towards the end of Iml collection the Eocene, around 40 million years Alaskan Chukchi SeOli 0-5 1976-1sao t.t.A. Dube- ago. Lis h}poth~sis is based on r Drift 1965 54 (he opening of deep-v.'ater seaways Alaska... Buufort Sea CHI 1977-1991 K. Dunto... and R. Wilce" between a cool·temperate Arctic 44 and a subtropical North Atlamic Ca"'OIIdian Alchipeltlgo 0-25 1967-1976 55 in lhe late Eocene:lf. By contrast, 1974-1983 56 Barryl' maintains that no significant NortheOlist Greenland 0-40 1907-1908 57 opening for Atlantic-Arctic water Franz Josef Ltlnd 0-38 1970 53 exchange occurred until after 27 New Siberian Islands 0-32 1973 7 million years ago. Regardless of the time disparity, the opening of East Siberian Sea 0-15 '98. 8 lChaul'l Bayl sea .....ays between the Arctic a,d North Atlantic coincided ..... ith a -Herbarium collectiol'ls strong cooling trend that dropped high-latitude surface water tem­ peratures below 1O"C by 40 mil­ lion years ago". This further en­ in the Arctic. and introduce the two seaways"'··JS, although new hanced the development of a paradox of the fauna and flora that evidence reveals that exchanges distinct marine boreal province In this analysis presents to biogeogra­ along these seaways were very the Arctic during the OligocenelJ and phers. IimitedU , The marine plants of this the evolution of a cool-temperate Nc period, Le, late Paleocene-Eocene, arctic biota of Atlantic character that 001 Evolution of the Arctlc Ocean i1lld its are postulated as the likely ances­ predominated well into the late Dc benthic biota tors of today's Alttic OCean nora of MiocenelJ.llo..H. A second major cool~ de The diverse origins and affinities Indo-Pacific affinityO. inl phase about 12 million years yeo of the arctic flora and fauna are By about the end of the ago Hate Miocene) dropped high­ be strongly related to the physical Cretaceous tBO-lOO million years latitude surface temperatures to e.. developmentof the north polar sea, ago), continental plate movements less than S"en , This temperature ak which essentially originated as a dosed the deep-water connection reduction further stimulated speci­ an, large northern embayment of the between the North Pacific and ation in variouscold-watergroupsof of North Pacific in the Mesozoicll~I), primeval Arctic Ocean'J, essentially the North Pacific, such as kelpl"l, and A" This primeval Arctic OCean was cool ending Pacific-Arctic biotic con­ subsequently, their herbivoresl&.
Recommended publications
  • Beaufort Sea Monitoring Program
    Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program Beaufort Sea Monitoring Program: Proceedings of a Workshop and Sampling Design Recommendations Beaufort Sea Monitoring Program: Proceedings of a Workshop (September 1983) and Sampling Design Recommendations ; Prepared for the Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program Juneau, Alaska by J. P. Houghton Dames & Moore 155 N.E. lOOth Street Seattle, WA 98125 with D. A Segar J. E. Zeh SEAM Ocean Inc. Department of Statistics Po. Box 1627 University of Washington Wheaton, MD 20902 Seattle, WA 98195 April 1984 UNITED STATES UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Malcolm Baldridge, Secretary William P Clark, Secretary NATIONAL OCEANIC AND MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION William D. Bettenberg, Director John V. Byrne, Administrator r. NOTICES i? I This report has been reviewed by the US. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Outer Continental Shelf Environmental Assessment Program office, and approved for publication. The interpretation of data and opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and workshop participants. Approval does not necessarily signify that the contents reflect the views and policies of the Department of Commerce or those of the Department of the Interior. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) does not approve, recommend, or endorse any proprietary product or proprietary material mentioned in this publica­ tion. No reference shall be made to NOAA or to this publication in any advertising or sales promotion which would indicate or imply that NOAA approves, recommends, or endorses any proprietary'product or proprietary material mentioned herein, or which has as its purpose an intent to cause directly or indirectly the advertised product to be used or purchas'ed because of this publication.
    [Show full text]
  • Recent Declines in Warming and Vegetation Greening Trends Over Pan-Arctic Tundra
    Remote Sens. 2013, 5, 4229-4254; doi:10.3390/rs5094229 OPEN ACCESS Remote Sensing ISSN 2072-4292 www.mdpi.com/journal/remotesensing Article Recent Declines in Warming and Vegetation Greening Trends over Pan-Arctic Tundra Uma S. Bhatt 1,*, Donald A. Walker 2, Martha K. Raynolds 2, Peter A. Bieniek 1,3, Howard E. Epstein 4, Josefino C. Comiso 5, Jorge E. Pinzon 6, Compton J. Tucker 6 and Igor V. Polyakov 3 1 Geophysical Institute, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Natural Science and Mathematics, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 903 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 2 Institute of Arctic Biology, Department of Biology and Wildlife, College of Natural Science and Mathematics, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, P.O. Box 757000, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA; E-Mails: [email protected] (D.A.W.); [email protected] (M.K.R.) 3 International Arctic Research Center, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, College of Natural Science and Mathematics, 930 Koyukuk Dr., Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 4 Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, 291 McCormick Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 5 Cryospheric Sciences Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 614.1, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; E-Mail: [email protected] 6 Biospheric Science Branch, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 614.1, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; E-Mails: [email protected] (J.E.P.); [email protected] (C.J.T.) * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: [email protected]; Tel.: +1-907-474-2662; Fax: +1-907-474-2473.
    [Show full text]
  • Archaeology Resources
    Archaeology Resources Page Intentionally Left Blank Archaeological Resources Background Archaeological Resources are defined as “any prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object [including shipwrecks]…Such term includes artifacts, records, and remains which are related to such a district, site, building, structure, or object” (National Historic Preservation Act, Sec. 301 (5) as amended, 16 USC 470w(5)). Archaeological resources are either historic or prehistoric and generally include properties that are 50 years old or older and are any of the following: • Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history • Associated with the lives of persons significant in the past • Embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction • Represent the work of a master • Possess high artistic values • Present a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction • Have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in history These resources represent the material culture of past generations of a region’s prehistoric and historic inhabitants, and are basic to our understanding of the knowledge, beliefs, art, customs, property systems, and other aspects of the nonmaterial culture. Further, they are subject to National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) review if they are historic properties, meaning those that are on, or eligible for placement on, the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). These sites are referred to as historic properties. Section 106 requires agencies to make a reasonable and good faith efforts to identify historic properties. Archaeological resources may be found in the Proposed Project Area both offshore and onshore.
    [Show full text]
  • Beaufort Sea
    160°W 159°W 158°W 157°W 156°W 155°W 154°W 153°W 152°W 151°W 150°W 149°W 148°W 147°W 146°W 145°W 144°W 143°W 142°W 141°W 140°W Beaufort Sea !Barrow N ° N 1 ° 14 7 1 7 15 13 12 !Wainwright 16 11 Prudhoe 17 Bay 10 Camden N 9 ° N Bay Kaktovik 0 ° 8 7 !Kaktovik Nuiqsut 7 0 ! 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 N ational P e C troleum Reserv e - Alaska a U n a . S d . a N - ° N - 9 ° A 6 9 s s Y 6 n e d e r l W i l a u s k k o a Index Map 1 of 3 n U.S./Canada Border to Wainwright ife Refuge Final Designation ic National Wildl of Critical Barrier Islands and Arct Denning Habitat Maps N ° N 8 ° 6 8 6 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 miles 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 km Map N ° N 7 ° Area 6 7 Pacific Ocean 6 158°W 157°W 156°W 155°W 154°W 153°W 152°W 151°W 150°W 149°W 148°W 147°W 146°W 145°W 144°W 143°W 142°W 99-0136 142°20'W 142°10'W 142°W 141°50'W 141°40'W 141°30'W 141°20'W 141°10'W 141°W Beaufort Sea N N ' ' 0 0 5 5 ° ° 9 9 6 6 r e v i R k a sr ak Eg N N ' ' 0 0 4 r Demarcation 4 ° ° 9 e 9 6 v 6 i Bay R t u k a g n o K N N ' ' 0 0 3 3 ° ° 9 9 6 6 C U a n .
    [Show full text]
  • Natural Variability of the Arctic Ocean Sea Ice During the Present Interglacial
    Natural variability of the Arctic Ocean sea ice during the present interglacial Anne de Vernala,1, Claude Hillaire-Marcela, Cynthia Le Duca, Philippe Robergea, Camille Bricea, Jens Matthiessenb, Robert F. Spielhagenc, and Ruediger Steinb,d aGeotop-Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada; bGeosciences/Marine Geology, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, 27568 Bremerhaven, Germany; cOcean Circulation and Climate Dynamics Division, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, 24148 Kiel, Germany; and dMARUM Center for Marine Environmental Sciences and Faculty of Geosciences, University of Bremen, 28334 Bremen, Germany Edited by Thomas M. Cronin, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA, and accepted by Editorial Board Member Jean Jouzel August 26, 2020 (received for review May 6, 2020) The impact of the ongoing anthropogenic warming on the Arctic such an extrapolation. Moreover, the past 1,400 y only encom- Ocean sea ice is ascertained and closely monitored. However, its pass a small fraction of the climate variations that occurred long-term fate remains an open question as its natural variability during the Cenozoic (7, 8), even during the present interglacial, on centennial to millennial timescales is not well documented. i.e., the Holocene (9), which began ∼11,700 y ago. To assess Here, we use marine sedimentary records to reconstruct Arctic Arctic sea-ice instabilities further back in time, the analyses of sea-ice fluctuations. Cores collected along the Lomonosov Ridge sedimentary archives is required but represents a challenge (10, that extends across the Arctic Ocean from northern Greenland to 11). Suitable sedimentary sequences with a reliable chronology the Laptev Sea were radiocarbon dated and analyzed for their and biogenic content allowing oceanographical reconstructions micropaleontological and palynological contents, both bearing in- can be recovered from Arctic Ocean shelves, but they rarely formation on the past sea-ice cover.
    [Show full text]
  • Beaufort Seas Coastal and Ocean Zones Strategic
    166° 164° 162° 160° 158° 156° 154° 152° 150° 148° 146° 144° 142° 140° 138° LEGEND North Slope Planning Area Conservation System Unit (Offset for display) Barrow B Trans-Alaska Pipeline ea !. eau hi S fort kc Se 1 Chuc a Subsistence Resource Use (Top Frame) Caribou C h i Wainwright er p Non Salmon Fish Species !. Riv p 70° e R Mead r i Topagoruk River e v v e i r R k u Teshekpuk Lake p Moose ik p !. k Atqasuk I Kaktovik !. Seals and Sea Lions 70° !. Nuiqsut !. Prudhoe Bay 1 r Subsistence Resource Use (Bottom Frame) e iv R k u Brown Bear r a p Point Lay !. Sagavanirktok River u K r e Birds and Eggs v i R g n i n n a C Whales NOTES er iv 1(Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas Coastal and Ocean Zones Strategic e R ll A lvi Assessment: Data Atlas, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Co n a November 1988) k It t k u il v l ik u k R R i v i e v r e r 68° er iv R r le d n a h Arctic Village C !. 68° 164° 162° 160° 158° 156° 154° 152° 150° 148° 146° 144° 142° 140° 166° 164° 162° 160° 158° 156° 154° 152° 150° 148° 146° 144° 142° 140° 138° Barrow .! Be Sea au DISCLAIMER hi for This atlas is a graphical representation of digital data from multiple sources. Not ckc t Sea all features indicated on this map have been constructed or physically located.
    [Show full text]
  • Canadian Beaufort Sea 2000: the Environmental and Social Setting G
    ARCTIC VOL. 55, SUPP. 1 (2002) P. 4–17 Canadian Beaufort Sea 2000: The Environmental and Social Setting G. BURTON AYLES1 and NORMAN B. SNOW2 (Received 1 March 2001; accepted in revised form 2 January 2002) ABSTRACT. The Beaufort Sea Conference 2000 brought together a diverse group of scientists and residents of the Canadian Beaufort Sea region to review the current state of the region’s renewable resources and to discuss the future management of those resources. In this paper, we briefly describe the physical environment, the social context, and the resource management processes of the Canadian Beaufort Sea region. The Canadian Beaufort Sea land area extends from the Alaska-Canada border east to Amundsen Gulf and includes the northwest of Victoria Island and Banks Island. The area is defined by its geology, landforms, sources of freshwater, ice and snow cover, and climate. The social context of the Canadian Beaufort Sea region has been set by prehistoric Inuit and Gwich’in, European influence, more recent land-claim agreements, and current management regimes for the renewable resources of the Beaufort Sea. Key words: Beaufort Sea, Inuvialuit, geography, environment, ethnography, communities RÉSUMÉ. La Conférence de l’an 2000 sur la mer de Beaufort a attiré un groupe hétérogène de scientifiques et de résidents de la région de la mer de Beaufort en vue d’examiner le statut actuel des ressources renouvelables de cette zone et de discuter de leur gestion future. Dans cet article, on décrit brièvement l’environnement physique, le contexte social et les processus de gestion des ressources de la zone canadienne de la mer de Beaufort.
    [Show full text]
  • Arctic Report Card 2018 Effects of Persistent Arctic Warming Continue to Mount
    Arctic Report Card 2018 Effects of persistent Arctic warming continue to mount 2018 Headlines 2018 Headlines Video Executive Summary Effects of persistent Arctic warming continue Contacts to mount Vital Signs Surface Air Temperature Continued warming of the Arctic atmosphere Terrestrial Snow Cover and ocean are driving broad change in the Greenland Ice Sheet environmental system in predicted and, also, Sea Ice unexpected ways. New emerging threats Sea Surface Temperature are taking form and highlighting the level of Arctic Ocean Primary uncertainty in the breadth of environmental Productivity change that is to come. Tundra Greenness Other Indicators River Discharge Highlights Lake Ice • Surface air temperatures in the Arctic continued to warm at twice the rate relative to the rest of the globe. Arc- Migratory Tundra Caribou tic air temperatures for the past five years (2014-18) have exceeded all previous records since 1900. and Wild Reindeer • In the terrestrial system, atmospheric warming continued to drive broad, long-term trends in declining Frostbites terrestrial snow cover, melting of theGreenland Ice Sheet and lake ice, increasing summertime Arcticriver discharge, and the expansion and greening of Arctic tundravegetation . Clarity and Clouds • Despite increase of vegetation available for grazing, herd populations of caribou and wild reindeer across the Harmful Algal Blooms in the Arctic tundra have declined by nearly 50% over the last two decades. Arctic • In 2018 Arcticsea ice remained younger, thinner, and covered less area than in the past. The 12 lowest extents in Microplastics in the Marine the satellite record have occurred in the last 12 years. Realms of the Arctic • Pan-Arctic observations suggest a long-term decline in coastal landfast sea ice since measurements began in the Landfast Sea Ice in a 1970s, affecting this important platform for hunting, traveling, and coastal protection for local communities.
    [Show full text]
  • Distribution and Abundance of Select Trace Metals in Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Ice
    Distribution and Abundance of Select Trace Metals in Chukchi and Beaufort Sea Ice Principal Investigators Robert Rember1 Ana M. Aguilar-Islas2 Graduate Student Vincent Domena2 1International Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks 2College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks FINAL REPORT December 2016 OCS Study BOEM 2016-079 Contact Information: email: [email protected] phone: 907.474.6782 fax: 907.474.7204 Coastal Marine Institute College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences University of Alaska Fairbanks P. O. Box 757220 Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220 This study was funded in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) through Cooperative Agreement M13AC00002 between BOEM, Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Region, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This report, OCS Study BOEM 2016-079, is available through the Coastal Marine Institute, select federal depository libraries and can be accessed electronically at http://www.boem.gov/Alaska-Scientific-Publications. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Pleistocene-Holocene Permafrost of the East Siberian Eurasian Arctic Shelf
    PLEISTOCENE-HOLOCENE PERMAFROST OF THE EAST SIBERIAN EURASIAN ARCTIC SHELF I.D. Danilov, I.A. Komarov, A.Yu. Vlasenko Department of Geology, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 119899 e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Cryolithosphere dynamics in the East Siberian Eurasian Arctic shelf during the last 50,000 years were recon- structed on the basis of paleogeographic events including transgressions and regressions of the Arctic Ocean, and changes of paleoclimatic environmental conditions within subaerially exposed shelf areas after their flood- ing by sea water. Mathematical models and calculations were developed in accordance with these events. Three transgressive and three regressive stages in the evolution of the Arctic shelf were established for the last 50,000 years. Air and permafrost temperatures and their spatial and temporal variations were reconstructed for regres- sive epochs, while sea bottom temperatures, salinity and "overburden pressure" were reconstructed for trans- gressive periods. The possible thickness of permafrost in coastal areas is 345-455 m. The possible thickness of ice-bonded permafrost and non ice-bonded saline permafrost ranges from 240-350 and 20-25 m respectively in the central shelf, to 140-175 and 10 m in the outer shelf. Introduction Therefore, in order to solve this contradiction it is ne- cessary to estimate the extent of the Sartan regression. The formation of the modern subaquatic cryolithos- In the eastern sector of the Eurasian Arctic shelf, the sea phere (offshore permafrost) on the Eurasian Arctic shelf level fall is estimated variously at 110-120 m (Aksenov is usually assigned to the Pre-Holocene (Sartan) regres- et al., 1987), 100 m (Fartyshev, 1993), 90-100 m sion, and complete or partial degradation of the per- (Hopkins, 1976), 50 m (Zhigarev et al., 1982), and (mini- mafrost, to the subsequent (Flandrian) transgression.
    [Show full text]
  • Changes in Snow, Ice and Permafrost Across Canada
    CHAPTER 5 Changes in Snow, Ice, and Permafrost Across Canada CANADA’S CHANGING CLIMATE REPORT CANADA’S CHANGING CLIMATE REPORT 195 Authors Chris Derksen, Environment and Climate Change Canada David Burgess, Natural Resources Canada Claude Duguay, University of Waterloo Stephen Howell, Environment and Climate Change Canada Lawrence Mudryk, Environment and Climate Change Canada Sharon Smith, Natural Resources Canada Chad Thackeray, University of California at Los Angeles Megan Kirchmeier-Young, Environment and Climate Change Canada Acknowledgements Recommended citation: Derksen, C., Burgess, D., Duguay, C., Howell, S., Mudryk, L., Smith, S., Thackeray, C. and Kirchmeier-Young, M. (2019): Changes in snow, ice, and permafrost across Canada; Chapter 5 in Can- ada’s Changing Climate Report, (ed.) E. Bush and D.S. Lemmen; Govern- ment of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, p.194–260. CANADA’S CHANGING CLIMATE REPORT 196 Chapter Table Of Contents DEFINITIONS CHAPTER KEY MESSAGES (BY SECTION) SUMMARY 5.1: Introduction 5.2: Snow cover 5.2.1: Observed changes in snow cover 5.2.2: Projected changes in snow cover 5.3: Sea ice 5.3.1: Observed changes in sea ice Box 5.1: The influence of human-induced climate change on extreme low Arctic sea ice extent in 2012 5.3.2: Projected changes in sea ice FAQ 5.1: Where will the last sea ice area be in the Arctic? 5.4: Glaciers and ice caps 5.4.1: Observed changes in glaciers and ice caps 5.4.2: Projected changes in glaciers and ice caps 5.5: Lake and river ice 5.5.1: Observed changes in lake and river ice 5.5.2: Projected changes in lake and river ice 5.6: Permafrost 5.6.1: Observed changes in permafrost 5.6.2: Projected changes in permafrost 5.7: Discussion This chapter presents evidence that snow, ice, and permafrost are changing across Canada because of increasing temperatures and changes in precipitation.
    [Show full text]
  • Oceanography of the Canadian Shelf of the Beaufort Sea: a Setting for Marine Life EDDY C
    ARCTIC VOL. 55, SUPP. 1 (2002) P. 29–45 Oceanography of the Canadian Shelf of the Beaufort Sea: A Setting for Marine Life EDDY C. CARMACK1,2 and ROBIE W. MACDONALD1 (Received 1 March 2001; accepted in revised form 28 August 2001) ABSTRACT. Conservation of marine biodiversity in the Beaufort Sea demands that we understand what individual organisms require of their physical and geochemical environments in order to survive. Specifically, how do the extraordinary spatial and seasonal variations in ice cover, temperature, light, freshwater, turbidity, and currents of the Beaufort Sea define unique places or times critical to marine life? We start with the traditional “bottom-up” approach, which is to review the strongly seasonal physical forcing of the system, and from it to infer the resultant oceanographic regimes and seasons. This approach, while valuable, remains incomplete: this is due partly to limitations of the data and partly to our limited understanding of this complex system. The oceanographic features (e.g., upwelling regions, recurrent polynyas, coastal currents, sediment types and distributions) define the backdrop that animals “know and understand” in the sense of interacting with one another and finding food and habitat. We therefore seek clues to the underlying oceanographic processes in the behavioural patterns of fish, marine mammals, and birds. This “top-down” approach also has limitations, but it offers the opportunity to seek those connections in the system where climate change is likely to have its greatest impact on biological populations. Key words: Beaufort Sea, global warming, upwelling, sea ice, nutrients, sediments RÉSUMÉ. La conservation de la biodiversité marine dans la mer de Beaufort passe par notre compréhension des éléments nécessaires à la survie des organismes individuels au sein de leur environnement physique et géochimique.
    [Show full text]