The Northern Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) in Arctic Canada: ecology, threats, and what it tells us about marine environmental conditions

2006 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 187-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark L Mallory
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Oil Spills ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Northern Fulmar ◽  
Fulmarus Glacialis ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

The northern fulmar Fulmarus glacialis is a ubiquitous seabird found across the North Atlantic Ocean and into the Canadian Arctic. However, we know little of its ecology in the Arctic, which is unfortunate, because it possesses many traits that make it an excellent biomonitor of the condition of Arctic marine environments. Presently, Arctic fulmars face threats from harvest, bycatch in fisheries, and fouling in oil spills while the birds are in their winter range (the North Atlantic). However, during breeding, migration, and overwintering, they may also experience stress from ecotourism, contaminants, particulate garbage, and climate change. In this paper I review the effects of all of these threats on fulmars and I describe how the ecology of these birds makes them particularly suitable for tracking contaminants, garbage, and the effects of climate change in the Arctic marine ecosystem. I also highlight our key existing knowledge gaps on this species and how additional research will strengthen the utility of fulmars as biomonitors. Key words: northern fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, Arctic, contaminants, climate change, pollution.

scholarly journals Variability of mixed-phase clouds in the Arctic with a focus on the Svalbard region: a study based on spaceborne active remote sensing

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 2445-2461 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Mioche ◽  
O. Jourdan ◽  
M. Ceccaldi ◽  
J. Delanoë
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Arctic Region ◽  
Supercooled Liquid ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Mixed Phase Clouds ◽  
The Arctic Region

Abstract. The Arctic region is known to be very sensitive to climate change. Clouds and in particular mixed-phase clouds (MPCs) remain one of the greatest sources of uncertainties in the modelling of the Arctic response to climate change due to an inaccurate representation of their variability and their quantification. In this study, we present a characterisation of the vertical, spatial and seasonal variability of Arctic clouds and MPCs over the entire Arctic region based on satellite active remote sensing observations. MPC properties in the region of the Svalbard archipelago (78° N, 15° E) are also investigated. The occurrence frequency of clouds and MPCs are determined from CALIPSO/CLOUDSAT measurements processed with the DARDAR retrieval algorithm, which allow for a reliable cloud thermodynamic phase classification (warm liquid, supercooled liquid, ice, mixing of ice and supercooled liquid). Significant differences are observed between MPC properties over the entire Arctic region and over the Svalbard region. Results show that MPCs are encountered all year long, with a minimum occurrence of 30% in winter and 50% during the rest of the year on average over the entire Arctic. Over the Svalbard region, MPC occurrence is more constant with time with larger values (55%) compared to the average observed in the Arctic. MPCs are especially located at low altitudes, below 3000 m, where their frequency of occurrence reaches 90%, particularly during winter, spring and autumn. Moreover, results highlight that MPCs are statistically more frequent above open sea than land or sea ice. The temporal and spatial distribution of MPCs over the Svalbard region seems to be linked to the supply of moister air and warmer water from the North Atlantic Ocean, which contribute to the initiation of the liquid water phase. Over the whole Arctic, and particularly in western regions, the increase of MPC occurrence from spring to autumn could be connected to the sea ice melting. During this period, the open water transports some of the warm water from the North Atlantic Ocean to the rest of the Arctic region. This facilitates the vertical transfer of moisture and thus the persistence of the liquid phase. Particular attention is also paid to the measurement uncertainties and how they could affect our conclusions.

scholarly journals Are the Transient and Equilibrium Climate Change Patterns Similar in Response to Increased CO2?

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (18) ◽  
pp. 8003-8023
Author(s):  
Danqing Huang ◽  
Aiguo Dai ◽  
Jian Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Models ◽  
Surface Air Temperature ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
The North ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Time Periods ◽  
The North Atlantic ◽  
Subtropical Oceans

AbstractAfter a CO2 increase, whether the early transient and final equilibrium climate change patterns are similar has major implications. Here, we analyze long-term simulations from multiple climate models under increased CO2, together with the extended simulations from CMIP5, to compare the transient and equilibrium climate change patterns under different forcing scenarios. Results show that the normalized warming patterns (per 1 K of global warming) are broadly similar among different forcing scenarios (including abrupt 2 × CO2, 4 × CO2, and 1% CO2 increase per year) and during different time periods, except for the first 50 years or so when warming is weaker over the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean but stronger over most continents. During the first 200 years, this consistency is stronger over land than over ocean, but is lower in midlatitudes than other regions. Normalized precipitation change patterns are also similar, albeit to a lesser degree, among different forcing scenarios and across different time periods, although noticeable differences exist during the first few hundred years with smaller increases over the tropical Pacific. Precipitation over many subtropical oceans and land areas decreases consistently under different forcing scenarios and over all time periods. In particular, the transient and near-equilibrium change patterns for both surface air temperature and precipitation are similar over most of the globe, except for the North Atlantic warming hole, which is mainly a transient feature. The Arctic amplification and land–ocean warming contrast are largest during the first 100–200 years after CO2 quadrupling but they still exist in the equilibrium response.

Surface temperatures of the Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic Ocean: implications for future climate

2008 ◽  
Vol 367 (1886) ◽  
pp. 69-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry J Dowsett ◽  
Mark A Chandler ◽  
Marci M Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Atlantic Ocean ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Climate Model ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
First Century ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

The Mid-Pliocene is the most recent interval in the Earth's history to have experienced warming of the magnitude predicted for the second half of the twenty-first century and is, therefore, a possible analogue for future climate conditions. With continents basically in their current positions and atmospheric CO 2 similar to early twenty-first century values, the cause of Mid-Pliocene warmth remains elusive. Understanding the behaviour of the North Atlantic Ocean during the Mid-Pliocene is integral to evaluating future climate scenarios owing to its role in deep water formation and its sensitivity to climate change. Under the framework of the Pliocene Research, Interpretation and Synoptic Mapping (PRISM) sea surface reconstruction, we synthesize Mid-Pliocene North Atlantic studies by PRISM members and others, describing each region of the North Atlantic in terms of palaeoceanography. We then relate Mid-Pliocene sea surface conditions to expectations of future warming. The results of the data and climate model comparisons suggest that the North Atlantic is more sensitive to climate change than is suggested by climate model simulations, raising the concern that estimates of future climate change are conservative.

Trends and characteristics of winter storms in CMIP6

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mareike Schuster ◽  
Uwe Ulbrich
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Life Time ◽  
Storm Tracks ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Cmip5 Models ◽  
Atlantic Basin ◽  
North Atlantic Basin ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

<p>Windstorms are considered the most devastating natural peril in many regions around the globe. For insurance associations in Europe for example, the damages generated by windstorms make up to about 90% of the claims in the category of natural hazards. The interannual variability of windstorms can be quite strong and thus research has recently focused on this topic.</p><p>However, storm risk and its changes under anthropogenically induced climate change are so far rather little discussed in literature. Thus, there are still large uncertainties about how climate change will affect the extratropical circulation. CMIP5 models showed at times opposing signals regarding number and strength of windstorm generating cyclones and storm tracks. In more detail, the latest IPCC AR5 states that substantial uncertainty and low confidence remains in projecting changes in NH storm tracks, especially for the North Atlantic basin.</p><p>With the lately released CMIP6 simulations, providing model output of increased spatial and temporal resolution, there is potential for new insights and enhanced confidence regarding future trends of storminess.</p><p>In our study, we assess characteristics and trends of windstorm diagnostics in an ensemble of the latest CMIP6 climate scenario simulations, with a focus to the North Atlantic basin and winterstorms affecting Europe.</p><p>In the CMIP6 model ensemble the trends of winter windstorm frequencies appear to be overall weaker in an anthropogenically changed climate than in the preceding CMIP5 scenarios; yet, first results indicate that they are somewhat more consistent amongst models. All CMIP6 models exhibit a windstorm frequency increase locally confined over the Arctic, while in the mid and high latitudes a wide-ranging decrease of windstorm activity is simulated. In our study we will also assess what this entails for characteristics like life time, intensity and size.</p>

scholarly journals The response of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) to future climate change

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1327-1337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth F. Drinkwater
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
North Atlantic ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Future Climate ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Total Production ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract Future CO2-induced climate change scenarios from Global Circulation Models (GCMs) indicate increasing air temperatures, with the greatest warming in the Arctic and Subarctic. Changes to the wind fields and precipitation patterns are also suggested. These will lead to changes in the hydrographic properties of the ocean, as well as the vertical stratification and circulation patterns. Of particular note is the expected increase in ocean temperature. Based upon the observed responses of cod to temperature variability, the expected responses of cod stocks throughout the North Atlantic to the future temperature scenarios are reviewed and discussed here. Stocks in the Celtic and Irish Seas are expected to disappear under predicted temperature changes by the year 2100, while those in the southern North Sea and Georges Bank will decline. Cod will likely spread northwards along the coasts of Greenland and Labrador, occupy larger areas of the Barents Sea, and may even extend onto some of the continental shelves of the Arctic Ocean. In addition, spawning sites will be established further north than currently. It is likely that spring migrations will occur earlier, and fall returns will be later. There is the distinct possibility that, where seasonal sea ice disappears altogether, cod will cease their migration. Individual growth rates for many of the cod stocks will increase, leading to an overall increase in the total production of Atlantic cod in the North Atlantic. These responses of cod to future climate changes are highly uncertain, however, as they will also depend on the changes to climate and oceanographic variables besides temperature, such as plankton production, the prey and predator fields, and industrial fishing.

scholarly journals Response of Thermohaline Circulation to Freshwater Forcing under Present-Day and LGM Conditions

2008 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 2239-2258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aixue Hu ◽  
Bette L. Otto-Bliesner ◽  
Gerald A. Meehl ◽  
Weiqing Han ◽  
Carrie Morrill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Atlantic ◽  
Thermohaline Circulation ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Bering Strait ◽  
Climate System Model ◽  
The North ◽  
Freshwater Forcing ◽  
Bering Strait Throughflow ◽  
The North Atlantic

Abstract Responses of the thermohaline circulation (THC) to freshwater forcing (hosing) in the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean under present-day and the last glacial maximum (LGM) conditions are investigated using the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Climate System Model versions 2 and 3. Three sets of simulations are analyzed, with each set including a control run and a freshwater hosing run. The first two sets are under present-day conditions with an open and closed Bering Strait. The third one is under LGM conditions, which has a closed Bering Strait. Results show that the THC nearly collapses in all three hosing runs when the freshwater forcing is turned on. The full recovery of the THC, however, is at least a century earlier in the open Bering Strait run than the closed Bering Strait and LGM runs. This is because the excessive freshwater is diverged almost equally toward north and south from the subpolar North Atlantic when the Bering Strait is open. A significant portion of the freshwater flowing northward into the Arctic exits into the North Pacific via a reversed Bering Strait Throughflow, which accelerates the THC recovery. When the Bering Strait is closed, this Arctic to Pacific transport is absent and freshwater can only be removed through the southern end of the North Atlantic. Together with the surface freshwater excess due to precipitation, evaporation, river runoff, and melting ice in the closed Bering Strait experiments after the hosing, the removal of the excessive freshwater takes longer, and this slows the recovery of the THC. Although the background conditions are quite different between the present-day closed Bering Strait run and the LGM run, the THC responds to the freshwater forcing added in the North Atlantic in a very similar manner.

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