Search

The Arctic is the fastest warming biome on the planet, and environmental changes are having striking effects on freshwater ecosystems that may impact the regional carbon cycle. The metabolic state of Arctic lakes is often considered net heterotrophic, due to an assumed supply of allochthonous organic matter that supports ecosystem respiration and carbon mineralization in excess of rates of primary production. However, lake metabolic patterns vary according to regional climatic characteristics, hydrological connectivity, organic matter sources and intrinsic lake properties, and the metabolism of most Arctic lakes is unknown. We sampled 35 waterbodies along a connectivity gradient from headwater to downstream lakes, on southern Victoria Island, Nunavut, in an area characterized by low precipitation, organic‐poor soils, and high evaporation rates. We evaluated whether lakes were net autotrophic or heterotrophic during the open water period using an oxygen isotopic mass balance approach. Most of the waterbodies were autotrophic and sites of net organic matter production or close to metabolic equilibrium. Autotrophy was associated with higher benthic primary production, as compared to its pelagic counterpart, due to the high irradiance reaching the bottom and efficient internal carbon and nutrient cycling. Highly connected midstream and downstream lakes showed efficient organic matter cycling, as evidenced by the strong coupling between gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration, while decoupling was observed in some headwater lakes with significantly higher GPP. The shallow nature of lakes in the flat, arid region of southern Victoria Island supports net autotrophy in most lakes during the open water season. Ongoing climate changes that lengthen the ice‐free irradiance period and increase rates of nutrient evapoconcentration may further promote net autotrophy, with uncertain long‐term effects for lake functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warming in the Arctic is predicted to change freshwater biodiversity through loss of unique taxa and northward range expansion of lower latitude taxa. Detecting such changes requires establishing circumpolar baselines for diversity, and understanding the primary drivers of diversity.We examined benthic macroinvertebrate diversity using a circumpolar dataset of >1,500 Arctic lake and river sites. Rarefied α diversity within catchments was assessed along latitude and temperature gradients. Community composition was assessed through region‐scale analysis of β diversity and its components (nestedness and turnover), and analysis of biotic–abiotic relationships.Rarefied α diversity of lakes and rivers declined with increasing latitude, although more strongly across mainland regions than islands. Diversity was strongly related to air temperature, with the lowest diversity in the coldest catchments. Regional dissimilarity was highest when mainland regions were compared with islands, suggesting that connectivity limitations led to the strongest dissimilarity. High contributions of nestedness indicated that island regions contained a subset of the taxa found in mainland regions.High Arctic rivers and lakes were predominately occupied by Chironomidae and Oligochaeta, whereas Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera taxa were more abundant at lower latitudes. Community composition was strongly associated with temperature, although geology and precipitation were also important correlates.The strong association with temperature supports the prediction that warming will increase Arctic macroinvertebrate diversity, although low diversity on islands suggests that this increase will be limited by biogeographical constraints. Long‐term harmonised monitoring across the circumpolar region is necessary to detect such changes to diversity and inform science‐based management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freshwater chemistry across the circumpolar region was characterised using a pan‐Arctic data set from 1,032 lake and 482 river stations. Temporal trends were estimated for Early (1970–1985), Middle (1986–2000), and Late (2001–2015) periods. Spatial patterns were assessed using data collected since 2001.Alkalinity, pH, conductivity, sulfate, chloride, sodium, calcium, and magnesium (major ions) were generally higher in the northern‐most Arctic regions than in the Near Arctic (southern‐most) region. In particular, spatial patterns in pH, alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium appeared to reflect underlying geology, with more alkaline waters in the High Arctic and Sub Arctic, where sedimentary bedrock dominated.Carbon and nutrients displayed latitudinal trends, with lower levels of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), total nitrogen, and (to a lesser extent) total phosphorus (TP) in the High and Low Arctic than at lower latitudes. Significantly higher nutrient levels were observed in systems impacted by permafrost thaw slumps.Bulk temporal trends indicated that TP was higher during the Late period in the High Arctic, whereas it was lower in the Near Arctic. In contrast, DOC and total nitrogen were both lower during the Late period in the High Arctic sites. Major ion concentrations were higher in the Near, Sub, and Low Arctic during the Late period, but the opposite bulk trend was found in the High Arctic.Significant pan‐Arctic temporal trends were detected for all variables, with the most prevalent being negative TP trends in the Near and Sub Arctic, and positive trends in the High and Low Arctic (mean trends ranged from +0.57%/year in the High/Low Arctic to −2.2%/year in the Near Arctic), indicating widespread nutrient enrichment at higher latitudes and oligotrophication at lower latitudes.The divergent P trends across regions may be explained by changes in deposition and climate, causing decreased catchment transport of P in the south (e.g. increased soil binding and trapping in terrestrial vegetation) and increased P availability in the north (deepening of the active layer of the permafrost and soil/sediment sloughing). Other changes in concentrations of major ions and DOC were consistent with projected effects of ongoing climate change. Given the ongoing warming across the Arctic, these region‐specific changes are likely to have even greater effects on Arctic water quality, biota, ecosystem function and services, and human well‐being in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Retrogressive thaw slumps are areas of unstable degraded permafrost that often drain into nearby watersheds, leading to increased sediment loads and changes in water quality. Thaw slumps are prevalent across the Arctic, including western Canada, Alaska, and Russia, and high‐altitude areas of western China. Over the past several decades, increased temperatures and precipitation in the Arctic have led to increases in the size and frequency of thaw slumps. Our study explored the effects of prolonged sedimentation from thaw slumps in the Peel Plateau, NWT, Canada on benthic macroinvertebrate drift, an important biological function of stream ecosystems. Though sedimentation is known to initiate a catastrophic drift response, studies have generally not considered the drift response to ongoing, long‐term perturbation. Drift densities and sediment loads were measured using drift nets and sediment traps at paired sites upstream and downstream of thaw slumps. We compared drift densities and sediment loads between sites and examined how drift differed over a fine‐sediment gradient. The amount of suspended and settling fine sediments increased significantly at downstream sites. Drift densities decreased at downstream sites; however, when drift was corrected for benthic abundance at each site, there was an increase in proportional drift density associated with increased fine sediments. These results indicate that prolonged impacts from thaw slumps result in lower macroinvertebrate abundance and higher proportional drift relative to undisturbed sites. Ultimately, increased sediment loads from thaw slumps represent a chronic stressor that will continue to prevent recovery of macroinvertebrate communities at impacted sites until these features stabilize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]