Biogeochemical Consequences Of Climate Driven Changes In The Arctic

The Arctic is the most northern part of our Earth. It is a huge area that spans over several countries including; Canada, Denmark (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the USA. However, the largest part of the Arctic is not on land but is covered by water – the Arctic Ocean. For hundreds of thousands of years, large parts of the Arctic Ocean were covered by ice all year around. Many animals, such as polar bears, Arctic foxes, seals, fish and birds, and even some people have made this icy place their home. They have learned to live with the ice, and some animals even need it to live. But recently, things in the Arctic have been changing. You have probably already heard a lot about Climate Change. Climate Change impacts the long-term weather (climate) everywhere on our planet. Many areas get warmer, some get colder, and everywhere we see more extreme or unusual weather, such as storms, floods or droughts. But nowhere is Climate Change happening as fast as in the Arctic. You might have also heard about the “2°C goal”. This is a goal that many governments around the world have agreed to. The plan is essentially to make sure the average global warming of our atmosphere stays at less than 2°C compared to what people like to call “pre-industrial time” (the year 1948 is used as a reference). Right now, most of the world is at around 0.8°C warming. In the Arctic, we are already at 2.3°C warming – that is 0.3°C above what should be the absolute maximum according to the “2°C goal”. Now you probably ask why it is so bad that the Arctic is getting a bit warmer. That should make it a nicer place to live, right? Unfortunately, the warm temperature means that the ice that has covered the Arctic Ocean for all this time is melting. It looks like that will change the Arctic Ocean forever and with it the animals and people that call the Arctic their home. In this collection, we want to tell you what we, as scientists, know about the changes in the Arctic; how we investigate these changes and what we have learned from our travels to the Arctic and the analyses we do in our research institutes. We will tell you about how the higher temperatures in the Arctic change the ice. How very tiny animals can have a huge impact. We want to introduce you to life in the ice, under the ice, and at the seafloor. We will talk about processes that make the Arctic Ocean so special and chemicals that can travel from our homes and cities all the way to the Arctic.

The polar regions are experiencing rapid changes in climate. These changes are causing observable ecological impacts of various types and degrees of severity at all ecosystem levels, including society. Even larger changes and more significant impacts are anticipated. As species respond to changing environments over time, their interactions with the physical world and other organisms can also change. This chain of interactions can trigger cascades of impacts throughout entire ecosystems. Evaluating the interrelated physical, chemical, biological, and societal components of polar ecosystems is essential to understanding their vulnerability and resilience to climate forcing. The Polar Research Board (PRB) organized a workshop to address these issues. Experts gathered from a variety of disciplines with knowledge of both the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Participants were challenged to consider what is currently known about climate change and polar ecosystems and to identify the next big questions in the field. A set of interdisciplinary "frontier questions" emerged from the workshop discussions as important topics to be addressed in the coming decades. To begin to address these questions, workshop participants discussed the need for holistic, interdisciplinary systems approach to understanding polar ecosystem responses to climate change. As an outcome of the workshop, participants brainstormed methods and technologies that are crucial to advance the understanding of polar ecosystems and to promote the next generation of polar research. These include new and emerging technologies, sustained long-term observations, data synthesis and management, and data dissemination and outreach.

The Pacific Arctic region is experiencing rapid sea ice retreat, seawater warming, ocean acidification and biological response. Physical and biogeochemical modeling indicates the potential for step-function changes to the overall marine ecosystem. This synthesis book was coordinated within the Pacific Arctic Group, a network of international partners working in the Pacific Arctic. Chapter topics range from atmospheric and physical sciences to chemical processing and biological response to changing environmental conditions. Physical and biogeochemical modeling results highlight the need for data collection and interdisciplinary modeling activities to track and forecast the changing ecosystem of the Pacific Arctic with climate change.

The arctic region is predicted to experience the earliest and most pronounced global warming response to human-induced climatic change. This book synthesizes information on the physiological ecology of arctic plants, discusses how physiological processes influence ecosystem processes, and explores how climate warming will affect arctic plants, plant communities, and ecosystem processes. Key Features * Reviews the physiological ecology of arctic plants * Explores biotic controls over community and ecosystems processes * Provides physiological bases for predicting how the Arctic will respond to global climate change

Plain-language synthesis of key findings of Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, for policymakers and broader public.

The monograph analyzes international relations in the Arctic from two perspectives: cooperation and competition. The following question was asked: does rivalry outweigh cooperation in the Arctic or is it the other way round; do the entities manage to gain the benefits of cooperation?