Comparison of Freshwater Diatom Assemblages from a High Arctic Oasis to Nearby Polar Desert Sites and Their Application to Environmental Inference Models

Relationships between modern surface sediment diatom assemblages and measured water chemistry variables were examined from 30 lakes and ponds on Axel Heiberg Island (Nunavut) in the Canadian High Arctic. Canonical correspondence analysis with forward selection and Monte Carlo permutation tests identified dissolved organic carbon, dissolved inorganic carbon, specific conductance, and pH as the measured environmental variables explaining significant proportions of the diatom variance. Canonical correspondence analysis axis 1 represented a gradient of specific conductance, and axis 2 was influenced primarily by pH. To increase the signal-to-noise ratio in our reconstructions, the species data sets were refined to include only taxa that had significant responses to either conductivity or pH, as determined by Huisman Olff Fresco models of species–environment relationships. Diatom-based inference models were subsequently developed for both lakewater specific conductance (r2boot = 0.75, root mean square error of prediction = 0.22) and lakewater pH (r2boot = 0.31, root mean square error of prediction = 0.57) using weighted averaging techniques. These data contribute to our understanding of diatom biogeography throughout the Canadian Arctic and have implications for regional paleoclimatic reconstructions in these climatically and environmentally sensitive regions.

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Microbial Community Structure in Lake and Wetland Sediments from a High Arctic Polar Desert Revealed by Targeted Transcriptomics

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0089531 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. e89531 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Magdalena K. Stoeva ◽

Stéphane Aris-Brosou ◽

John Chételat ◽

Holger Hintelmann ◽

Philip Pelletier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Microbial Community ◽

Microbial Community Structure ◽

High Arctic ◽

Polar Desert

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The structure and diversity of freshwater diatom assemblages from Franz Josef Land Archipelago: a northern outpost for freshwater diatoms

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.1705 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 4 ◽

pp. e1705 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Sergi Pla-Rabés ◽

Paul B. Hamilton ◽

Enric Ballesteros ◽

Maria Gavrilo ◽

Alan M. Friedlander ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Seasonal Changes ◽

Ph Gradient ◽

Diatom Assemblages ◽

Diatom Flora ◽

Human Footprint ◽

Franz Josef Land ◽

Freshwater Diatoms ◽

Arctic Conditions ◽

Cell Densities ◽

Freshwater Diatom

We examined diatom assemblages from 18 stream and pond samples in the Franz Josef Land Archipelago (FJL), the most northern land of Eurasia. More than 216 taxa were observed, revealing a rich circumpolar diatom flora, including many undescribed taxa. Widely distributed taxa were the most abundant by cell densities, while circumpolar taxa were the most species rich. Stream and pond habitats hosted different assemblages, and varied along a pH gradient.Diatoma tenuiswas the most abundant and ubiquitous taxon. However, several circumpolar taxa such asChamaepinnularia gandrupii, Cymbella botellus, Psammothidiumsp. andHumidophila laevissimawere also found in relatively high abundances. Aerophilic taxa were an important component of FJL diatom assemblages (Humidophilaspp.,Caloneisspp. andPinnulariaspp.), reflecting the large and extreme seasonal changes in Arctic conditions. We predict a decrease in the abundance of circumpolar taxa, an increase in local (α-) freshwater diatom diversity, but a decrease in regional diversity (circumpolar homogenization) as a result of current warming trends and to a lesser extent the increasing human footprint in the region.

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Comparing Rock-inhabiting Microbial Communities in Different Rock Types from a High Arctic Polar Desert

FEMS Microbiology Ecology ◽

10.1093/femsec/fiy070 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Yong-Hoe Choe ◽

Mincheol Kim ◽

Jusun Woo ◽

Mi Jung Lee ◽

Jong Ik Lee ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Communities ◽

High Arctic ◽

Polar Desert ◽

Rock Types

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An estimate of ice wedge volume for a High Arctic polar desert environment, Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island

The Cryosphere ◽

10.5194/tc-12-3589-2018 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 12 (11) ◽

pp. 3589-3604 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Claire Bernard-Grand'Maison ◽

Wayne Pollard

Keyword(s):

Satellite Imagery ◽

Regional Scale ◽

High Arctic ◽

Ellesmere Island ◽

The Arctic ◽

Ground Ice ◽

Polar Desert ◽

Ice Volume ◽

Carbon Release ◽

Wedge Volume

Abstract. Quantifying ground-ice volume on a regional scale is necessary to assess the vulnerability of permafrost landscapes to thaw-induced disturbance like terrain subsidence and to quantify potential carbon release. Ice wedges (IWs) are a ubiquitous ground-ice landform in the Arctic. Their high spatial variability makes generalizing their potential role in landscape change problematic. IWs form polygonal networks that are visible on satellite imagery from surface troughs. This study provides a first approximation of IW ice volume for the Fosheim Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, a continuous permafrost area characterized by polar desert conditions and extensive ground ice. We perform basic GIS analyses on high-resolution satellite imagery to delineate IW troughs and estimate the associated IW ice volume using a 3-D subsurface model. We demonstrate the potential of two semi-automated IW trough delineation methods, one newly developed and one marginally used in previous studies, to increase the time efficiency of this process compared to manual delineation. Our methods yield acceptable IW ice volume estimates, validating the value of GIS to estimate IW volume on much larger scales. We estimate that IWs are potentially present on 50 % of the Fosheim Peninsula (∼3000 km2), where 3.81 % of the top 5.9 m of permafrost could be IW ice.

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Relationships between surface sediment diatom assemblages and water chemistry gradients in saline lakes of the Vestfold Hills, Antarctica

Antarctic Science ◽

10.1017/s0954102096000508 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 331-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

D. Roberts ◽

A. McMinn

Keyword(s):

Water Chemistry ◽

Correspondence Analysis ◽

Canonical Correspondence Analysis ◽

Surface Sediment ◽

Saline Lakes ◽

Diatom Assemblages ◽

Antarctic Region ◽

Inference Models ◽

Vestfold Hills ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between surface sediment diatom assemblages and measured limnological variables in 33 coastal Antarctic lakes was examined by constructing a diatom-water chemistry dataset. Canonical correspondence analysis revealed that salinity and silicate each explain significant amounts of variation in the distribution and abundance of the surface sediment diatom taxa. Salinity has the strongest influence, revealing its value for limnological inference models in this coastal Antarctic region.

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