Sentinel responses of Arctic freshwater systems to climate: linkages, evidence, and a roadmap for future research

While the sentinel nature of freshwater systems is now well recognized, widespread integration of freshwater processes and patterns into our understanding of broader climate-driven Arctic terrestrial ecosystem change has been slow. We review the current understanding across Arctic freshwater systems...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Arctic Science
Main Authors: Jasmine E. Saros, Christopher D. Arp, Frédéric Bouchard, Jérôme Comte, Raoul-Marie Couture, Joshua F. Dean, Melissa Lafrenière, Sally MacIntyre, Suzanne McGowan, Milla Rautio, Clay Prater, Suzanne E. Tank, Michelle Walvoord, Kimberly P. Wickland, Dermot Antoniades, Paola Ayala-Borda, Joao Canario, Travis W. Drake, Diogo Folhas, Václava Hazuková, Henriikka Kivilä, Yohanna Klanten, Scott Lamoureux, Isabelle Laurion, Rachel M. Pilla, Jorien E. Vonk, Scott Zolkos, Warwick F. Vincent
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
French
Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2023
Subjects:
Climate change
climate indicators
Arctic lakes
Arctic rivers
polar limnology
Environmental sciences
GE1-350
Environmental engineering
TA170-171
Arctic
The Sentinel
Ice
permafrost
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1139/as-2022-0021
https://doaj.org/article/e7700e77aaf645a9a5d035b2082f48f8
Description
Summary:While the sentinel nature of freshwater systems is now well recognized, widespread integration of freshwater processes and patterns into our understanding of broader climate-driven Arctic terrestrial ecosystem change has been slow. We review the current understanding across Arctic freshwater systems of key sentinel responses to climate, which are attributes of these systems with demonstrated and sensitive responses to climate forcing. These include ice regimes, temperature and thermal structure, river baseflow, lake area and water level, permafrost-derived dissolved ions and nutrients, carbon mobilization (dissolved organic carbon, greenhouse gases, and radiocarbon), dissolved oxygen concentrations, lake trophic state, various aquatic organisms and their traits, and invasive species. For each sentinel, our objectives are to clarify linkages to climate, describe key insights already gained, and provide suggestions for future research based on current knowledge gaps. We suggest that tracking key responses in Arctic freshwater systems will expand understanding of the breadth and depth of climate-driven Arctic ecosystem changes, provide early indicators of looming, broader changes across the landscape, and improve protection of freshwater biodiversity and resources.

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