A1 Journal article (refereed)
Vulnerability of the North Water ecosystem to climate change (2021)

Ribeiro, S., Limoges, A., Massé, G., Johansen, K. L., Colgan, W., Weckström, K., Jackson, R., Georgiadis, E., Mikkelsen, N., Kuijpers, A., Olsen, J., Olsen, S. M., Nissen, M., Andersen, T. J., Strunk, A., Wetterich, S., Syväranta, J., Henderson, A. C. G., Mackay, H., . . . Davidson, T. A. (2021). Vulnerability of the North Water ecosystem to climate change. Nature Communications, 12, Article 4475. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24742-0

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Ribeiro, Sofia; Limoges, Audrey; Massé, Guillaume; Johansen, Kasper L.; Colgan, William; Weckström, Kaarina; Jackson, Rebecca; Georgiadis, Eleanor; Mikkelsen, Naja; Kuijpers, Antoon; et al.

Journal or series: Nature Communications

eISSN: 2041-1723

Publication year: 2021

Publication date: 22/07/2021

Volume: 12

Article number: 4475

Publisher: Springer Science+Business Media

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-24742-0

Research data link:  https://doi.org/10.22008/FK2/MQDS1L

Publication open access: Openly available

Publication channel open access: Open Access channel

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/77285

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.

Keywords: climate changes; climate; warming; ecosystems (ecology); sea ice; arctic region; Inuits; palaeoclimatology

Contributing organizations

Ministry reporting: Yes

Reporting Year: 2021

JUFO rating: 3