Climate-driven regime shifts in the biological communities of arctic lakes

• Main Authors: Smol, JP, Wolfe, AP, Birks, HJB, Douglas, MSV, Jones, VJ, Korhola, A, Pienitz, R, Ruhland, K, Sorvari, S, Antoniades, D, Brooks, SJ, Fallu, MA, Hughes, M, Keatley, BE, Laing, TE, Michelutti, N, Nazarova, L, Nyman, M, Paterson, AM, Perren, B, Quinlan, R, Rautio, M, Saulnier-Talbot, E, Siitonen, S, Solovieva, N, Weckstrom, J
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: NATL ACAD SCIENCES 2005
• Subjects: climate change; paleolimnology; Anthropocene; warming; indicators; CANONICAL CORRESPONDENCE-ANALYSIS; RECENT ENVIRONMENTAL-CHANGES; ELLESMERE-ISLAND; NORTHERN QUEBEC; FINNISH LAPLAND; DIATOM RESPONSE; FOSSIL DIATOMS; LATE HOLOCENE; CANADA; RECORD; Arctic; Canada; Ellesmere Island; Climate change; Lapland
• Online Access: http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/187488/

Fifty-five paleolimnological records from lakes in the circumpolar Arctic reveal widespread species changes and ecological reorganizations in algae and invertebrate communities since approximately anno Domini 1850. The remoteness of these sites, coupled with the ecological characteristics of taxa involved, indicate that changes are primarily driven by climate warming through lengthening of the summer growing season and related limnological changes. The widespread distribution and similar character of these changes indicate that the opportunity to study arctic ecosystems unaffected by human influences may have disappeared.