Impoundment Productivity in the Prudhoe Bay Oil Field, Alaska: Implications for Waterbirds

a ), and nutrient availability (phosphorus and nitrogen). High variability in these limnological characteristics, particularly among impoundments, obscured potential differences between impoundments and ponds. No significant differences were found in chlorophyll or nutrient concentrations, and in only two cases were there differences in invertebrate production: gastropods were significantly more abundant in impoundments than in ponds in June, and trichopterans were significantly more abundant in impoundments than in ponds in July. For comparisons within impoundments and ponds, there were significant differences in invertebrate abundance between habitats and between wetland types. For example, plecopterans, trichopterans, and gastropods (all taxa combined) were consistently more abundant in shallow–Arctophila impoundments and ponds than in shallow–Carex impoundments and ponds. Thus, ponds and impoundments may differ significantly in invertebrate production, but we lack information on the amount of different habitat types (i.e., center versus emergent vegetation, Carex versus Arctophila) used by these taxa within each water body type. It is a reasonable speculation, based on results of this study, that impoundments and ponds may have similar value as feeding habitat for invertebrate-eating waterbirds. Thus the presence of impoundments may be consistent with waterbird management goals on the Arctic Coastal Plain.     

Rapid amino acid cycling in arctic and antarctic soils

Amino acids constitute one of the largest inputs of organic nitrogen (N) to most polar soils and have been hypothesized to be important in regulating vegetational succession and productivity in Arctic ecosystems. Our understanding of amino acid cycling in these soils, however, is poor. The aim of this study was to investigate the size and rate of turnover of the amino acid pool in a range of Arctic and Antarctic soils. Our results indicate that in polar soils with either high or low ornithogenic inputs the amino acid pool is small in comparison to the inorganic N pool (NO^–₃ and NH⁺₄). The free amino acid pool constituted only a small proportion of the total dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) pool in these soils. Here we show that these low concentrations may be due to rapid use by the soil microbial community in both Arctic and Antarctic soils. The turnover of the amino acid pool in soil was extremely rapid, with a half-life ranging from 2 to 24 h, indicating that this N pool can be turned over many hundred times each summer when polar soils are frequently unfrozen. The implications of amino acids in N cycling and plant and microbial nutrition are discussed.     

Exploratory Analysis of the Winter Chemistry of Five Lakes on the North Slope of Alaska1

Abstract: Lakes are important water resources on the North Slope of Alaska. Freshwater is required for oilfield production as well as exploration, which occurs largely on ice roads and pads. Since most North Slope lakes are shallow, the quantity and quality of the water under ice at the end of winter are important environmental management issues. Currently, water‐use permits are a function of the presence of overwintering fish populations, and their sensitivity to low oxygen concentrations. Sampling of five North Slope lakes during the winter of 2004‐2005 shed some light on the winter chemistry of four lakes that were used as water supplies and one undisturbed lake. Field analysis was conducted for oxygen, conductivity, pH, and temperature throughout the lake depth, as well as ice thickness and water depth. Water samples were retrieved from the lakes and analyzed for Na, Ca, K, Mg, Fe, dissolved‐organic carbon, and alkalinity in the laboratory. Lake properties, rather than pumping, were the best predictors of oxygen depletion, with the highest dissolved‐oxygen levels maintained in the lake with the lowest concentration of constituents. Volume weighted mean dissolved‐oxygen concentrations ranged from 4 to 94% of saturation in March. Dissolved oxygen and specific conductance data suggested that the lakes began to refresh in May.     

北极沉积物中硫酸盐还原菌与生物地球化学要素的相关分析

对北极楚科奇海、白令海测区34个沉积物样品的硫酸盐还原菌(SRB)含量与CaCO3、Si、S、P、Cd、Fe、Ti、Pb、Hg等地球化学要素作了相关分析．同时分析了SRB与其所在沉积物粒度与底层水温间的关系．结果表明：SRB与Si、砂及底层水温为正相关；SRB与CaCO3、Fe、Ti、P、Pb、Hg、粉砂、粘土为负相关；而SRB与Cd、S的相关性因海区不同而不同．既有负相关．也有正相关．分析了这些相关状况及其原因．     

中国第二次北极科学考察沿线气溶胶可溶性离子分布特征和来源

对2003年7月15～9月28日间中国第二次北极科学考察沿线所采集的气溶胶样品进行分析,获得了Na 、NH4 、K 、Mg2 、Ca2 、Cl-、MSA、SO2-4、NO3-、C2O2-4和CH3COO-11种离子的浓度.离子组成表明,气溶胶主要以海盐颗粒为主,其中(Na Cl-)的贡献平均为60.2%;其次为硫酸盐.根据因子分析,11种离子归为4个因子,解释方差为83.7%.因子1包括Na 、nss-Mg2 、nss-Ca2 、Cl-和nss-SO2-4,代表陆地和海洋混合源,解释方差为41.2%;因子2包括NH 4、nss-K 和NO3-,来源于化石燃料燃烧和生物质燃烧所释放的二次污染物,解释方差为18.9%;因子3只有MSA,来源于海洋表层浮游植物排放的二甲基硫(DMS)的氧化,解释方差为11.9%;因子4包括CH3COO-和C2O2-4,主要来源于高纬度的北温带北部森林大火,解释方差为11.6%.     

A reflection on four impactful Ambio papers: The biotic perspective: This article belongs to Ambio’s 50th Anniversary Collection. Theme: Climate change impacts

Climate change represents one of the most pressing societal and scientific challenges of our time. While much of the current research on climate change focuses on future prediction, some of the strongest signals of warming can already be seen in Arctic and alpine areas, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average, and in the oceans, where the combination of rising temperatures and acidification due to increased CO₂ concentrations has had catastrophic consequences for sensitive marine organisms inhabiting coral reefs. The scientific papers highlighted as part of this anniversary issue represent some of the most impactful advances in our understanding of the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. Here, we reflect on the legacy of these papers from the biotic perspective.     

降水过量氘指示的北极冬季海冰消融及水汽变化

在全球变暖背景下,持续减少的海冰正在通过降水和蒸发改变着北极水循环。降水同位素及其过量氘参数（d）作为水循环示踪剂对北极水文气候变化研究具有重要帮助,但由于观测资料匮乏,目前有关北极水循环的同位素示踪研究鲜有报道。本文以冬季海冰主要消融区——巴伦支—格陵兰海（BGS）为例,调查了BGS冬季降水d值与海冰和大气环流的关系。结果表明：BGS降水d值与海冰范围呈显著正相关,而与巴伦支—喀拉海（BKS）反气旋指数呈显著负相关。BGS降水d主要受海冰变化导致的局地蒸发控制,当海冰减少时,局地蒸发水汽增加,贡献了更多低d的降水。增强的BKS反气旋通过绝热下沉增温和向极的水热输送,加强了BGS海冰消融与局地蒸发,降低了降水d值;而较低纬地区输送水汽以高的d值为特征,其对BGS降水的直接贡献有限。该项研究从同位素的视角厘清了局地蒸发与较低纬地区水汽输送对北极降水的相对重要性,不仅有助于理解海冰减少对北极水循环的影响,也对北极古气候重建具有重要启示。     

Nutrient pathways and their susceptibility to past and future change in the Eurasian Arctic Ocean

Climate change is altering nutrient cycling within the Arctic Ocean, having knock-on effects to Arctic ecosystems. Primary production in the Arctic is principally nitrogen-limited, particularly in the western Pacific-dominated regions where denitrification exacerbates nitrogen loss. The nutrient status of the eastern Eurasian Arctic remains under debate. In the Barents Sea, primary production has increased by 88% since 1998. To support this rapid increase in productivity, either the standing stock of nutrients has been depleted, or the external nutrient supply has increased. Atlantic water inflow, enhanced mixing, benthic nitrogen cycling, and land–ocean interaction have the potential to alter the nutrient supply through addition, dilution or removal. Here we use new datasets from the Changing Arctic Ocean program alongside historical datasets to assess how nitrate and phosphate concentrations may be changing in response to these processes. We highlight how nutrient dynamics may continue to change, why this is important for regional and international policy-making and suggest relevant research priorities for the future.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13280-021-01673-0.     

Biogeochemical consequences of a changing Arctic shelf seafloor ecosystem

Unprecedented and dramatic transformations are occurring in the Arctic in response to climate change, but academic, public, and political discourse has disproportionately focussed on the most visible and direct aspects of change, including sea ice melt, permafrost thaw, the fate of charismatic megafauna, and the expansion of fisheries. Such narratives disregard the importance of less visible and indirect processes and, in particular, miss the substantive contribution of the shelf seafloor in regulating nutrients and sequestering carbon. Here, we summarise the biogeochemical functioning of the Arctic shelf seafloor before considering how climate change and regional adjustments to human activities may alter its biogeochemical and ecological dynamics, including ecosystem function, carbon burial, or nutrient recycling. We highlight the importance of the Arctic benthic system in mitigating climatic and anthropogenic change and, with a focus on the Barents Sea, offer some observations and our perspectives on future management and policy.     

Correlations between physicochemical properties of PAHs and their distribution in soil, moss and reindeer dung at Ny-Ålesund of the Arctic

Concentrations of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil, moss and reindeer dung collected at Ny-Ålesund of the Arctic were measured to investigate their accumulation trends and distribution in the three compartments. Compared with the other regions, the proportions of 2 + 3 ring PAHs to the total PAHs were higher, whereas the proportions of 5 + 6 ring PAHs were lower in the three compartments at Ny-Ålesund. Significant log/log-linear relationship was observed between the sub-cooled liquid vapor pressure and the soil/moss quotient (Q_SM). The relation was similar to the relationship between the gas/particle partition coefficient (K_P) and of PAHs, implying Q_SM would be a “mirror image” of K_P. Excellent log/log-linear relationships were observed between Q_SM and K_OA as well as between the moss/dung quotient (Q_MD) and K_OW. The results presented here indicate the physicochemical properties are suitable for characterizing the distribution of PAHs in soil, moss and reindeer dung.