Climate change has a much greater impact on Arctic coastal areas than on terrestrial areas or the open ocean, new research finds. Multiple climatic drivers increase pace and consequences of ecosystem change in the Arctic Coastal Ocean. Experts conclude that the changes are almost impossible to halt.
Researchers have studied the effect of melting glaciers on light access for kelp in Young Sound in Greenland. Photo credit: Karl Attard.
It is well documented that the Arctic is warming 3-4 times faster than in other parts of the globe and that sea ice, glaciers and permafrost are melting at an alarming rate. However, what is happening in areas where all these changes take place at the same time?
- We are seeing major changes in the coastal areas in the Arctic, says R&D Manager Paul Renaud from Akvaplan-niva.
- Pollution, alien species and changes in the coastal resources on which local communities depend, represent a shift in the livelihoods of human societies in these areas, he says.
A team of researchers from Akvaplan-niva, Aarhus University and the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research NINA, has now published their results in Limnology and Oceanography Letters.
Here, the team concludes that focus should be on coastal areas to understand how rapidly the living conditions of plants, animals and people in the Arctic are affected by climate change. In fact, the accelerating effects of climate change can no longer be reversed, which leaves adaptation as the only alternative for communities living there.
- We see how the climate change effects on land are 'exported' to the coast where they have a combined effect with climate change effects from the ocean, says Professor of Ecoscience at Aarhus University, Mikael Sejr.
The coast must cope with the new reality
Even though most people live along the coast in the Arctic, a large part of the scientific research on climate change effects in the Arctic is focused on the open ocean where changes in the sea ice can be documented using satellite images.
- It is along the coast that people live, and these changes have direct societal effects. A greater effort should be put into understanding how the coastal communities are indeed affected by climate change, says Amanda Poste, Research Director at NINA.
The existing climate change models and satellite products have not yet been developed for coastal area conditions, but work is underway.
- We hope that the climate changes in the Arctic Coast Ocean will receive an increased focus and that we soon have tailor-made models for these areas, says Mikael Sejr.
Read the full article: Mikael K. Sejr, Amanda E. Poste, Paul E. Renaud. 2024. Multiple climatic drivers increase pace and consequences of ecosystemchange in the Arctic Coastal Ocean. Limnology and Oceanography Letters
Contact:
Amanda Poste, Research Director, NINA
Paul E. Renaud, Akvaplan-niva
Mikael K. Sejr, Professor, Aarhus University