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The Arctic is rapidly changing, disrupting biogeochemical cycles and the processing, delivery and sedimentation of carbon (C), in linked terrestrial–aquatic systems. In this investigation, we coupled a hydrogeomorphic assessment of catchment soils, sediments and plants with a recent lake sediment sequence to understand the source and quality of organic carbon present in three Arctic upland lake catchments on Disko Island, located just south of the low–high Arctic transition zone. This varied permafrost landscape has exposed soils with less vegetation cover at higher altitudes, and lakes received varying amounts of glacial meltwater inputs. We provide improved isotope and biomarker source identifications for palaeolimnological studies in high-latitude regions, where terrestrial vegetation is at or close to its northerly and altitudinal range limit. The poorly developed catchment soils lead to lake waters with low dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations (≤1.5 mg L−1). Sedimentary carbon/nitrogen (C/ N) ratios, the C isotope composition of organic matter (δ13Corg) and biomarker ratios (n-alkanes, n-alkanols, n-alkanoic acids and sterols) showed that sedimentary organic matter (OM) in these lakes is mostly derived from aquatic sources (algae and macrophytes). We used a 210Pb-dated sediment core to determine how carbon cycling in a lake–catchment system (Disko 2) had changed over recent centuries. Recent warming since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA∼1860 CE), which accelerated after ca. 1950, led to melt of glacier ice and permafrost, releasing nutrients and DOC to the lake and stimulating pronounced aquatic algal production, as shown by a >10-fold increase in β-carotene, indicative of a major regime shift. We also demonstrate that recent increases in catchment terrestrial vegetation cover contributed to the autochthonous response. Our findings highlight that in Arctic lakes with sparsely developed catchment vegetation and soils, recent Anthropocene warming resu

Nature-based climate solutions (NbS) are widely available, scalable and cost-effective mechanisms to sequester carbon and safeguard Southeast Asia’s large carbon stocks. NbS additionally provide other benefits such as reducing haze, protecting biodiversity and shorelines, ecosystem services, and can provide economic opportunities through carbon credits and small-scale economies.

Understanding the strength and extent of the Asian summer monsoon (including the East Asian summer monsoon and the Indian summer monsoon) in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) region is crucial for predicting possible changes in the regional eco-environment and water resources under global warming. Due to the lack of well-dated and high-resolution paleoclimate records, long-term monsoon dynamics are still not well understood in the western TP, which is currently influenced by both the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and the westerlies. Here we present a multi-proxy lacustrine record covering the past 10,500 years from Aweng Co, an alpine lake at the northern limit of the modern ASM in western Tibet. Our results show that the western TP was mainly controlled by the ISM during the Holocene and the regional ecosystem/environment was sensitive to climate change. The climate was the wettest between 10.5 and 7.3 cal kyr BP, when terrestrial plants in the catchment were productive and the biomass of benthic algae was low possibly due to limited sunlight at the lake bottom due to high lake level. From 7.3 to 5.0 cal kyr BP the climate shifted towards drier conditions, resulting in a decline in terrestrial plant cover. Between 5.0 and 3.1 cal kyr BP, the climate became even drier, resulting in a further decline in vegetation cover in the catchment. Between 4.6 and 3.1 cal kyr BP, 100% endogenic dolomite precipitated from the lake water, possibly induced by high Mg/Ca ratios. After 3.1 cal kyr BP, the climate was the driest and frequent centennial-scale droughts occurred. The lake level was low and would have resulted in more light reaching the lake bottom, favoring the growth of benthic algae. The reconstructed lake level change of Aweng Co agrees well with the paleo-shoreline records in the southern TP, demonstrating that the ISM evolution played a key role in lake hydrological processes in this region. A comparison of paleoclimate records shows the ISM reached 34.5° N in the western TP

Anthropogenic and climatic stressors on freshwater ecosystems are of global concern. However, the interactions and effects of multiple stressors (e.g., nutrient enrichment, climate warming, altered wind and precipitation) acting over different spatial and temporal scales are often complex and remain controversial. Here, we reconstructed one-century dynamics of eutrophication and primary producer communities in algal-dominated and macrophyte-dominated zones of a large shallow lake (Taihu, China), by integrating sedimentary photosynthetic pigments and geochemical records with water monitoring and historical archives. We aimed to explore the long-term underlying mechanisms of the responses of water quality and lake biota to multiple environmental perturbations. We found that water quality degradation and algal community modification showed similar trends but distinct timings and trajectories in contrasting ecological zones. Onset and intensity of eutrophication in north Meiliang Bay (since the 1950s) exceeded far beyond that of macrophyte-dominated Eastern Taihu (~1990s). Anthropogenic nutrients overtook past climatic control on production and composition of phototrophic assemblages. More importantly, lake phytoplankton responded markedly to climate warming, decreasing wind speed, and extreme weathers after cultural eutrophication. Synergistic interactions of nutrients and climate on lake ecosystems became increasingly significant in promoting harmful algal blooms (HABs) dominated by Microcystis, close to the hyper-eutrophic north lake zones. The asynchronous limnological and ecological responses also indicated the modulating roles of lake ecological regime and catchment hydrogeomorphic characteristic. Collectively, our findings suggest that mitigation of eutrophication and HABs calls for a triple management strategy integrating anthropogenic nutrients, climate change, and lake-catchment setting.

Rapid development and climate change in southeast Asia is placing unprecedented pressures on freshwater ecosystems, but long term records of the ecological consequences are rare. Here we examine one basin of Tasik Chini (Malaysia), a UNESCO‐designated flood pulse wetland, where human disturbances (dam installation, iron ore mining, oil palm and rubber cultivation) have escalated since the 1980s. Diatom analysis and organic matter geochemistry (δ13Corg and C/N ratios) were applied to a sediment sequence to infer ecological changes in the basin since c. 1900 CE. As the Tasik Chini wetland is a rare ecosystem with an unknown diatom ecology, contemporary diatom habitats (plant surfaces, mud surfaces, rocks, plankton) were sampled from across the lake to help interpret the sedimentary record. Habitat specificity of diatoms was not strongly defined and, although planktonic and benthic groupings were distinctive, there was no difference in assemblages among the benthic habitat surfaces. An increase in the proportion of benthic diatom taxa suggests that a substantial decrease in water level occurred between c. 1938 and 1995 CE, initiated by a decline in rainfall (supported by regional meteorological data), which increased the hydrological isolation of the sub‐basin. Changes in the diatom assemblages were most marked after 1995 CE when the Chini dam was installed. After this time both δ13Corg and C/N decreased, suggesting an increase in autochthonous production relative to allochthonous river flood pulse inputs. Oil palm plantations and mining continued to expand after c. 1995 CE and we speculate that inputs of pollutants from these activities may have contributed to the marked ecological change. Together, our work shows that this sub‐basin of Tasik Chini has been particularly sensitive to, and impacted by, a combination of human and climatically induced changes due to its hydrologically isolated position.

The young water fraction of streamflow (Fyw), an important hydrological variable, has been calculated for the first time, for a monsoon‐fed coastal catchment in northern Vietnam. Oxygen stable isotopes (δ18O) from six river sites in the Day River Basin (DRB) were analysed monthly, between January 2015 and December 2018. River δ18O signatures showed sine wave variability, reflecting the amount effect and tropical (dry‐rainy) seasonality of the region. The δ18O composition of precipitation ranged from −12.67 to +1.68‰, with a mean value of −5.14‰, and in‐streamflow signatures ranged from −11.63 to −1.37‰ with a mean of −5.02‰. Fractions of young water (Fyw) were calculated from the unweighted and flow‐weighted δ18O composition of samples. Unweighted Fyw ranged between 29 ± 8% and 82 ± 21% with a mean value of 51 ± 19%, and was not significantly different from flow‐weighted Fyw (range between 33 ± 25% and 92 ± 73%, mean 52 ± 36%). Both unweighted and flow‐weighted Fyw were highest in the middle of stream and lowest in downstream sites, capturing the impacts of landuse changes, hydrology and human activities in the catchment. Our calculations imply that more than a half of rainwater reaches the DRB river mainstream within the first 3 months. The Fyw is much higher than the global average (of one‐third) and insensitive to discharge due to the combination of a humid catchment with high rainfall, low storage capacity, flat landscape and an intensive drainage system in the DRB. Also the low discharge sensitivity of Fyw in the DRB implies that the regional hydrology is severely altered by humans.

Introduction to special issue.

Prediction of high latitude response to climate change is hampered by poor understanding of the role of nonlinear changes in ecosystem forcing and response. While the effects of nonlinear climate change are often delayed or dampened by internal ecosystem dynamics, recent warming events in the Arctic have driven rapid environmental response, raising questions of how terrestrial and freshwater systems in this region may shift in response to abrupt climate change. We quantified environmental responses to recent abrupt climate change in West Greenland using long-term monitoring and paleoecological reconstructions. Using >40 years of weather data, we found that after 1994, mean June air temperatures shifted 2.2 °C higher and mean winter precipitation doubled from 21 to 40 mm; since 2006, mean July air temperatures shifted 1.1 °C higher. Nonlinear environmental responses occurred with or shortly after these abrupt climate shifts, including increasing ice sheet discharge, increasing dust, advancing plant phenology, and in lakes, earlier ice out and greater diversity of algal functional traits. Our analyses reveal rapid environmental responses to nonlinear climate shifts, underscoring the highly responsive nature of Arctic ecosystems to abrupt transitions.