scholarly journals Birds of three worlds: moult migration to high Arctic expands a boreal-temperate flyway to a third biome

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antti Piironen ◽  
Antti Paasivaara ◽  
Toni Laaksonen
Keyword(s):  
Bird Migration ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
Bean Goose ◽  
Moult Migration

Abstract Background Knowledge on migration patterns and flyways is a key for understanding the dynamics of migratory populations and evolution of migratory behaviour. Bird migration is usually considered to be movements between breeding and wintering areas, while less attention has been paid to other long-distance movements such as moult migration. Methods We use high-resolution satellite-tracking data from 58 taiga bean geese Anser fabalis fabalis from the years 2019–2020, to study their moult migration during breeding season. We show the moulting sites, estimate the migratory connectivity between the breeding and the moulting sites, and estimate the utilization distributions during moult. We reveal migration routes and compare the length and timing of migration between moult migrants and successful breeders. Results All satellite-tracked non-breeding and unsuccessfully breeding taiga bean geese migrated annually to the island of Novaya Zemlya in the high Arctic for wing moult, meaning that a large part of the population gathers at the moulting sites outside the breeding range annually for approximately three months. Migratory connectivity between breeding and moulting sites was very low (rm =  − 0.001, 95% CI − 0.1562–0.2897), indicating that individuals from different breeding grounds mix with each other on the moulting sites. Moult migrants began fall migration later in autumn than successful breeders, and their overall annual migration distance was over twofold compared to the successful breeders. Conclusions Regular moult migration makes the Arctic an equally relevant habitat for the taiga bean goose population as their boreal breeding and temperate wintering grounds, and links ecological communities in these biomes. Moult migration plays an important role in the movement patterns and spatio-temporal distribution of the population. Low migratory connectivity between breeding and moulting sites can potentially contribute to the gene flow within the population. Moult migration to the high Arctic exposes the population to the rapid impacts of global warming to Arctic ecosystems. Additionally, Novaya Zemlya holds radioactive contaminants from various sources, which might still pose a threat to moult migrants. Generally, these results show that moult migration may essentially contribute to the way we should consider bird migration and migratory flyways.

scholarly journals Tracking of Arctic terns Sterna paradisaea reveals longest animal migration

2010 ◽  
Vol 107 (5) ◽  
pp. 2078-2081 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten Egevang ◽  
Iain J. Stenhouse ◽  
Richard A. Phillips ◽  
Aevar Petersen ◽  
James W. Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Seasonal Movement ◽  
The North ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Flight Costs ◽  
Sterna Paradisaea ◽  
And Performance

The study of long-distance migration provides insights into the habits and performance of organisms at the limit of their physical abilities. The Arctic tern Sterna paradisaea is the epitome of such behavior; despite its small size (<125 g), banding recoveries and at-sea surveys suggest that its annual migration from boreal and high Arctic breeding grounds to the Southern Ocean may be the longest seasonal movement of any animal. Our tracking of 11 Arctic terns fitted with miniature (1.4-g) geolocators revealed that these birds do indeed travel huge distances (more than 80,000 km annually for some individuals). As well as confirming the location of the main wintering region, we also identified a previously unknown oceanic stopover area in the North Atlantic used by birds from at least two breeding populations (from Greenland and Iceland). Although birds from the same colony took one of two alternative southbound migration routes following the African or South American coast, all returned on a broadly similar, sigmoidal trajectory, crossing from east to west in the Atlantic in the region of the equatorial Intertropical Convergence Zone. Arctic terns clearly target regions of high marine productivity both as stopover and wintering areas, and exploit prevailing global wind systems to reduce flight costs on long-distance commutes.

The Grenville–Sveconorwegian orogen in the high Arctic

2012 ◽  
Vol 149 (5) ◽  
pp. 875-891 ◽  
Author(s):  
HENNING LORENZ ◽  
DAVID G. GEE ◽  
ALEXANDER N. LARIONOV ◽  
JAROSLAW MAJKA
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
The North ◽  
Long Distance Transport ◽  
Continental Shelves ◽  
Mountain Belts ◽  
Sveconorwegian Orogen

AbstractThroughout the high Arctic, from northern Canada (Pearya) to eastern Greenland, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land, Novaya Zemlya, Taimyr and Severnaya Zemlya and, at lower Arctic latitudes, in the Urals and the Scandinavian Caledonides, there is evidence of the Grenville–Sveconorwegian Orogen. The latest orogenic phase (c. 950 Ma) is well exposed in the Arctic, but only minor Mesoproterozoic fragments of this orogen occur on land. However, detrital zircons in Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic successions provide unambiguous Mesoproterozoic to earliest Neoproterozoic (c. 950 Ma) signatures. This evidence strongly suggests that the Grenville–Sveconorwegian Orogen continues northwards from type areas in southeastern Canada and southwestern Scandinavia, via the North Atlantic margins to the high Arctic continental shelves. The widespread distribution of late Mesoproterozoic detrital zircons far to the north of the Grenville–Sveconorwegian type areas is usually explained in terms of long-distance transport (thousands of kilometres) of either sediments by river systems from source to sink, or of slices of lithosphere (terranes) moved on major transcurrent faults. Both of these interpretations involve much greater complexity than the hypothesis favoured here, the former involving recycling of the zircons from the strata of initial deposition into those of their final residence and the latter requiring a diversity of microcontinents. Neither explains either the fragmentary evidence for the presence of Grenville–Sveconorwegian terranes in the high Arctic, or the composition of the basement of the continental shelves. The presence of the Grenville–Sveconorwegian Orogen in the Arctic, mainly within the hinterland and margins of the Caledonides and Timanides, has profound implications not only for the reconstructions of the Rodinia supercontinent in early Neoproterozoic time, but also the origin of these Neoproterozoic and Palaeozoic mountain belts.

scholarly journals Contribution of the atmospheric channel to lead contamination of soils in the Arctic territories

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-64
Author(s):  
EI Kotova ◽  
IA Kuznetsova ◽  
VV Kriauciunas ◽  
SA Iglovsky ◽  
NS Larionov
Keyword(s):  
Kola Peninsula ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Lead Contamination ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Soil Horizon ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
Contamination Of Soils

Although the Arctic territories have long been considered “the gold standard of purity”, global climate change and environmental pollution are having a significant impact on the state of Arctic ecosystems. In particular, industrial complexes combined with transboundary transport are having a negative impact. The aim of this work is to determine the contribution of atmospheric Pb to the contamination of soils of the Arctic territories using the trajectory statistics method which combines correlation and factor statistical processing approaches while taking the actual lead content in the upper soil horizon into account. In order to assess the transfer of pollutants, an analysis of multiannual air mass tracts and impurity transfer trajectories to certain points was carried out. The objects of study are the soil of the Khorey-Ver settlement, the basin of the Shapkin and Sula rivers, northeastern and southern Svalbard and the islands of the Southern Archipelago of Novaya Zemlya. It was established that the primary contribution to airborne pollution of the Nenets Autonomous District (NAO) during the summer period comes from sources located within a radius of about 400 km. Aerogenic influence of the mainland on the territory of Svalbard is practically absent, with the main atmospheric transport of substances coming from nearby marine areas. The transfer of impurities from the mainland to the Novaya Zemlya District is also insignificant. During the summer months, there is practically no airborne lead contamination of the island territories. Some influences on the territory of Novaya Zemlya and the NEO can be traced to sources on the Kola Peninsula, the coasts of the Barents and Kara seas, as well as long-distance transport from the southern regions. On the territory of the NAO, the number of heavy metal (HM) precipitations increases from west to east, possibly indicating a stronger impact of emissions from the Norilsk industrial hub than from the enterprises of the Kola Peninsula on this territory. In terms of seasonal dynamics, the island points are characterised by an increase in HM fluxes during the winter period; conversely, for the NAO territory, such an increase takes place during the summer. This discrepancy is primarily due to the changing nature of the atmospheric circulation.

scholarly journals Recent contrasting behaviour of mountain glaciers across the European High Arctic revealed by ArcticDEM data

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jakub Małecki
Keyword(s):  
Climate Models ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Mountain Glacier ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
Mountain Glaciers ◽  
The Barents Sea ◽  
Recent Climate

Abstract. Small land-terminating mountain glaciers are a widespread and important element of Arctic ecosystems, influencing local hydrology, microclimate, and ecology, among others. Due to little ice volumes, this class of ice masses is very sensitive to climate warming, the latter of which is extremely well manifested in the European sector of the Arctic, i.e. in the Barents Sea area. Archipelagos surrounding the Barents Sea, i.e. Svalbard (SV), Novaya Zemlya (NZ), and Franz Josef Land (FJ), host numerous populations of mountain glaciers, but their response to recent strong warming remains understudied in most locations. This paper aims to obtain a snapshot of their state by utilizing high-resolution elevation data (ArcticDEM) to investigate the recent (ca. 2011–2017) elevation and volume changes of 382 small glaciers across SV, NZ, and FJ. The study concludes that many mountain glacier sites across the Barents Sea have been in a critical imbalance with the recent climate and might melt away within the coming several decades. However, deviations from the general trend exist, e.g. a cluster of small glaciers in north SV experiencing thickening. The findings reveal that near-stagnant glaciers might exhibit contrasting behaviours (fast thinning vs. thickening) over relatively short distances, being a challenge for climate models, but also an opportunity to test their reliability.

scholarly journals Migratory connectivity and population-specific migration routes in a long-distance migratory bird

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1778) ◽  
pp. 20132897 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christiane Trierweiler ◽  
Raymond H. G. Klaassen ◽  
Rudi H. Drent ◽  
Klaus-Michael Exo ◽  
Jan Komdeur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Migratory Bird ◽  
Habitat Characteristics ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Migratory Connectivity ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Migration System ◽  
Breeding Populations ◽  
Wintering Areas

Knowledge about migratory connectivity, the degree to which individuals from the same breeding site migrate to the same wintering site, is essential to understand processes affecting populations of migrants throughout the annual cycle. Here, we study the migration system of a long-distance migratory bird, the Montagu's harrier Circus pygargus , by tracking individuals from different breeding populations throughout northern Europe. We identified three main migration routes towards wintering areas in sub-Saharan Africa. Wintering areas and migration routes of different breeding populations overlapped, a pattern best described by ‘weak (diffuse) connectivity’. Migratory performance, i.e. timing, duration, distance and speed of migration, was surprisingly similar for the three routes despite differences in habitat characteristics. This study provides, to our knowledge, a first comprehensive overview of the migration system of a Palaearctic-African long-distance migrant. We emphasize the importance of spatial scale (e.g. distances between breeding populations) in defining patterns of connectivity and suggest that knowledge about fundamental aspects determining distribution patterns, such as the among-individual variation in mean migration directions, is required to ultimately understand migratory connectivity. Furthermore, we stress that for conservation purposes it is pivotal to consider wintering areas as well as migration routes and in particular stopover sites.

Seasonal change and microhabitat association of Arctic spider assemblages (Arachnida: Araneae) on Victoria Island (Nunavut, Canada)

2017 ◽  
Vol 149 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elyssa R. Cameron ◽  
Christopher M. Buddle
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Change ◽  
Ecological Monitoring ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Active Season ◽  
The North ◽  
Arthropod Predators ◽  
Abundance And Diversity ◽  
Victoria Island

AbstractArctic ecosystems are characterised by a mosaic of distinct microhabitats, which play a key role in structuring biodiversity. Understanding species diversity in relation to these microhabitats, and how communities are structured seasonally, is imperative to properly conserve, monitor, and manage northern biodiversity. Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) are dominant arthropod predators in the Arctic, yet the seasonal change in their communities in relation to microhabitat variation is relatively unknown. This research quantified how spider assemblages are structured seasonally and by microhabitat, near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Canada. In 2014, spiders were collected in 240 pan and pitfall traps placed in common microhabitat types (two wet and two dry) from 3 July to 11 August, the active season in the high Arctic. In total, 10 353 spiders from 22 species and four families were collected. Non-metric multidimensional scaling ordinations revealed that spider assemblages from wet habitats were distinct from those occurring in drier habitats, but that differences within each of those habitats were not evident. Abundance and diversity was highest in wet habitats and differed significantly from dry habitats; both these variables decreased seasonally. Spider assemblages in the north are structured strongly along moisture gradients, and such data informs planning for future ecological monitoring in the Arctic.

scholarly journals Abundance, habitat use and food consumption of seabirds in the high-Arctic fjord ecosystem

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-750
Author(s):  
Lech Stempniewicz ◽  
Michał Goc ◽  
Marta Głuchowska ◽  
Dorota Kidawa ◽  
Jan Marcin Węsławski
Keyword(s):  
High Arctic ◽  
Pelagic Zone ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Rissa Tridactyla ◽  
Arctic Fjord ◽  
Main Components ◽  
And Function ◽  
Arctic Food Web ◽  
Induced Changes

AbstractTo monitor the rapid changes occurring in Arctic ecosystems and predict their direction, basic information about the current number and structure of the main components of these systems is necessary. Using boat-based surveys, we studied the numbers and distribution of seabirds foraging in Hornsund (SW Spitsbergen) during three summer seasons. The average number of seabirds foraging concurrently in the whole fjord was estimated at 28,000. Little Auks Alle alle were the most numerous, followed by Northern Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis, Brünnich’s Guillemots Uria lomvia and Black-legged Kittiwakes Rissa tridactyla. The pelagic zone was exploited by some 75% of the birds. Their density was the highest (> 400 ind. km−2) in the tidewater glacier bays, where kittiwakes were predominant, and the lowest in the coastal glacier bays. The seabirds in Hornsund daily consumed c. 12.7 tons of food, i.e. c. 0.2% of the summer mesozooplankton and fish standing stocks available in the fjord. This food consisted primarily of copepods, amphipods and molluscs (c. 70%), whereas fish made up < 15%. More than 50% of this biomass was ingested by pursuit divers, while surface feeders took c. 29% and benthophages c. 13%. About three-quarters of the food biomass was taken from the pelagic zone. This paper describes, for the first time in quantitative terms, the structure and function of a seabird community foraging in an Arctic fjord. It also provides a baseline for future studies on climate-induced changes in the importance of seabirds in the Arctic food web.

scholarly journals Long-distance dispersal of migrant butterflies to the Arctic Ocean islands, with a record of Nymphalis xanthomelas at the northern edge of Novaya Zemlya (76.95°N)

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 ◽  
pp. 73-90
Author(s):  
Ivan N. Bolotov ◽  
Ivan A. Mizin ◽  
Alisa A. Zheludkova ◽  
Olga V. Aksenova ◽  
Yulia S. Kolosova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Arctic Ocean ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Butterfly Species ◽  
Long Distance Dispersal ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Northern Margin ◽  
Polar Urals ◽  
Novaya Zemlya ◽  
The Arctic Ocean ◽  
Ocean Islands

Although migrant butterflies are rare (or sporadically seen) guests on the Arctic Ocean islands, there is a slowly growing dataset on repeated occurrences of these insects in insular tundra and polar deserts. Altogether six long-distance migrant butterfly species were found to cross wide marine barriers north of the Arctic Circle (66.56°N), i.e. Vanessa atalanta, V. cardui, Nymphalis antiopa, N. xanthomelas, Aporia crataegi, and Pieris napi. Migrant individuals of V. cardui discovered on Svalbard (up to 78.27°N in 1978) reflect the farthest dispersal event of butterflies to the Arctic ever reported. Our record of N. xanthomelas at the northern margin of Novaya Zemlya (76.95°N) represents the northernmost finding of this species globally, reflecting the world’s second farthest record of northern poleward immigration of butterflies. This occurrence coincides with an exceptionally warm summer season, when the third highest July and second highest August air temperature occurred (since global records began in 1880). Furthermore, the immigration into Novaya Zemlya coincides with a population explosion and massive expansion of N. xanthomelas in Siberia in 2019–2020. Our air current reconstructions indicate that this species most likely immigrated into Novaya Zemlya from mainland regions situated south-southeast (Polar Urals, Yugorsky Peninsula, and western Yamal) and east (Taymyr) of the archipelago. Overall, our findings reveal that long-distance dispersal events of butterflies to the Arctic islands are always linked to massive expansions of the corresponding species in mainland areas.

The Effects of Predicted Soil Moisture and Temperature Increase on CO2 Exchange within a High Arctic Ecosystem

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Co2 Flux ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Co2 Exchange ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Co2 Production ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Arctic Regions ◽  
Snow Fences

With 2014 being the warmest year on record and 10 of the warmest years occurring after 1997, it is essential to understand the effects of this warming on CO2 exchange. It was also discovered that much of this warming is focused in the Arctic regions, which are sensitive to changes in temperature (Cole & McCarthy, 2015). My research examines the effects of enhanced snowfall and soil temperature on the exchange of CO2 between the land and the atmosphere in a high arctic environment. The research is taking place at Cape Bounty Arctic Watershed Observatory (CBAWO) on Melville Island, Nunavut as part of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX). The goal of ITEX is to better understand the effects of increased summer temperature and increased snowfall on arctic ecosystems. This is a full factorial experiment including treatments varying precipitation (and likely soil moisture), soil temperature, moisture and temperature together, and a control that is at ambient soil moisture and temperature. Snow fences are used to enhance precipitation, while open-topped transparent chambers are used to increase soil temperature. In a companion lab experiment, I look at the effects of different soil moisture levels and temperatures on soil CO2 production in a more controlled environment. Two temperatures, two moisture levels, and eight replicates of each will be established in sealed incubation chambers, and soils will be incubated for 33 days. Presently a significant relationship has been found between soil moisture and CO2 flux within the field experiment.

scholarly journals Microscale drivers of summer CO2 fluxes in the Svalbard High Arctic tundra

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Magnani ◽  
Ilaria Baneschi ◽  
Mariasilvia Giamberini ◽  
Brunella Raco ◽  
Antonello Provenzale
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Vegetation Type ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Arctic Tundra ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Arctic Ecosystems ◽  
Additional Source ◽  
And Storage

AbstractHigh-Arctic ecosystems are strongly affected by climate change, and it is still unclear whether they will become a carbon source or sink in the next few decades. In turn, such knowledge gaps on the drivers and the processes controlling CO2 fluxes and storage make future projections of the Arctic carbon budget a challenging goal. During summer 2019, we extensively measured CO2 fluxes at the soil–vegetation–atmosphere interface, together with basic meteoclimatic variables and ecological characteristics in the Bayelva river basin near Ny Ålesund, Spitzbergen, Svalbard (NO). By means of multi-regression models, we identified the main small-scale drivers of CO2 emission (Ecosystem Respiration, ER), and uptake (Gross Primary Production, GPP) in this tundra biome, showing that (i) at point scale, the temporal variability of fluxes is controlled by the classical drivers, i.e. air temperature and solar irradiance respectively for ER and GPP, (ii) at site scale, the heterogeneity of fractional vegetation cover, soil moisture and vegetation type acted as additional source of variability for both CO2 emissions and uptake. The assessment of the relative importance of such drivers in the multi-regression model contributes to a better understanding of the terrestrial carbon dioxide exchanges and of Critical Zone processes in the Arctic tundra.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document