As we mentioned in November, a team of researchers developed a groundbreaking tool called HLWATER V1.0, capable of automatically identifying these lakes. The study centred on the Nunavik region in Subarctic Canada, a stunning landscape where tundra meets boreal forest, forming an extensive network of water bodies, from glacial lakes to peatland ponds. 

But what comes next? What new discoveries have they made? Identifying these lakes is insufficient. It is essential to study them and understand their characteristics and spatial patterns, and that’s precisely what the team concentrated on in this new scientific paper. This time, the team examined three key parameters of the lakes: limnicity (size), limnodensity (quantity), and limnodiversity (optical diversity or colours, an important indicator of their chemical composition). 

And what did they find? Of the more than 335,000 lakes in this region, 90% are smaller than 0.01 km², meaning they are tiny. The larger lakes are found in glacial depressions on rocky outcrops. The highest limnodiversity occurs on valley slopes, where silt-clay deposits dominate and where permafrost degradation is most intense. Additionally, this is where we see the greatest limnodiversity, with black and brown lakes, rich in organic matter, and light brown or even white lakes, where mineral sediments predominate. 

Although these landscapes cover only 2 to 7% of the region, they contain more than 1/3 of all water bodies. And why is this important? Unfortunately, these lakes are not just beautiful; they release greenhouse gases, influence the climate, and impact the entire planet. 

Now that we can map and analyze these lakes with greater precision, can we predict how they will change in the future? Science continues to investigate!

Source: Freitas, P., Vieira, G., Martins, D., Canário, J., Pina, P., Heim, B., … Vincent, W. F. (2024). Diversity of lakes and ponds in the forest-tundra ecozone: from limnicity to limnodiversity. GIScience & Remote Sensing, 61(1).

Author: Diana Martins

But here’s the breakthrough: researchers have developed HLWATER V1.0, an innovative image analysis tool powered by the advanced AI model Mask R-CNN. Trained on high-resolution PlanetScope satellite images, this AI can automatically identify and map even the smallest ponds, down to 166 m²! The research was conducted in Nunavik, Subarctic Canada, a stunning and complex landscape where tundra meets boreal forest, dotted with everything from glacial lakes to ponds in peatland areas.

And the results? Game-changing! The AI model successfully mapped diverse types of water bodies, even in the most challenging environments where traditional methods fail. This new approach opens up the possibility of monitoring vast Arctic and Subarctic regions more accurately and comprehensively. By tracking changes in these small water bodies, scientists can better understand the impact of climate change and how greenhouse gases are released from thawing permafrost.

This study showcases the incredible potential of artificial intelligence and high-resolution satellite imagery to revolutionize environmental monitoring. It’s a major step forward in the global mission to understand and adapt to climate change, and protect these vital, yet often overlooked, ecosystems!

Source: Freitas, P., Vieira, G., Canário, J., Vincent, W., Pina, P., & Mora, C. (2024). A trained Mask R-CNN model over PlanetScope imagery for very-high resolution surface water mapping in boreal forest-tundra. Remote Sensing of Environment. 304. 10.1016/j.rse.2024.114047.  

Author: Diana Martins

The Arctic is part of the imaginary, social/collective and individual. This frozen region has unique characteristics that create an inhospitable place, remote and harsh in accessibility but where indigenous communities live. The imaginary of this region was created by the Greek navigator Pytheas, guided by the Great Bear Constellation(“Arktos”). Ensheathing European powers throughout centuries, mainly during the 19^th century, to reach this inhospitable location.

The concept “Polar Mediterranean” was introduced by Vilhjalmur Stefansson in the year 1920, after considering that the Arctic Ocean could be compared to the Mediterranean Sea. Because of that, he was known as the “Prophet of the North”. This vision, seen as a paradox, demonstrates Vilhjalmur Stefansson´s futurist perspective about the potentialities of the Arctic Ocean. A prophetic future confirmed by scientists who have been claiming: the possibility of new maritime routes and access to resources. In what concerns the maritime routes, in the 16^th and 17^th centuries, it was thought that travelling from China to the North Atlantic was possible. An idea confirmed in the 21^st century. 

The transformations provoked by climate change altered the collective and individual imaginary of the Arctic, allowing an opening to the external world, and bringing a new focus in the 21^st century. A focus was verified in different periods of world history, especially during World War II and the Cold War, as the Arctic was considered a geostrategic point for access and security in the region. This way, after the Cold War, cooperation was developed being a region of common interest of the Arctic States. With indigenous communities’ adaptability derived from the melting ice, a similarity between the Arctic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea can be confirmed: the rapprochement and connection of the communities within global interactions. The Arctic is not periphery anymore.

Reference: Villalobos Dantas, S. (2024). The Polar Mediterranean Imaginary. A Renewed Paradigm by Vilhjalmur Stefansson. Nordicum-Mediterraneum. Icelandic E-Journal of Nordicum and Mediterranean Studies.

https://nome.unak.is/wordpress/author/santi

Author: Céline Rodrigues

The impact of shipping in the Arctic is extensive, and three main areas stand out: on water bodies, atmospheric emissions, and animal survival.

Impacts on water bodies include pollution from anti-fouling paints, which release copper and microplastics that affect the growth and survival of marine life, inhibit reproduction, and cause deformities. In addition, oil spills pollute coastlines and beaches, affecting animal health, reproductive cycles and mobility, leading to the death of many species. Introducing non-native species (NNS) leads to loss of biodiversity and local extinctions. Sewage discharges also lead to pollution, depletion of dissolved oxygen, red tides and toxicological effects on the Arctic ecosystem.

Impacts on atmospheric emissions encompass air pollution and changes in atmospheric composition due to ship emissions, which disrupt radiative forcing (RF), accelerate Arctic warming, cause acid rain, and eutrophication of seawater.

Impacts on animal survival involve noise pollution, which disrupts Arctic animals’ communication, altering behavioural patterns and potentially causing temporary or permanent hearing loss. Light pollution disrupts the orientation of marine animals and causes collisions, especially between birds.

To mitigate these negative impacts, it is essential to adopt technical and operational solutions for ships, as well as to formulate stricter standards and rules for Arctic shipping activities.

Reference: Xinli Qi, Zhenfu Li, Changping Zhao, Qiqi Zhang, Yutao Zhou, Environmental impacts of Arctic shipping activities: A review, Ocean & Coastal Management, Volume 247, 2024, 106936, ISSN 0964-5691

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2023.106936

Author: Rita Quelha

This article basically wants to draw attention to the other side of the coin when it comes to the topic of energy transitions. On the one hand, national policies are promoting sustainability and ecology, where large renewable energy companies are consolidating their businesses and industries. On the other hand, this energy transition (“more environmentally friendly”) has a negative effect on small communities and their socio-cultural traditions.

The case of the Sámi minority in Norway (Figure 1) is an example of this paradox between the benefits of green energies and the survival of the indigenous community.

The construction of vast wind farms across reindeer herding territory (Figure 2) is a blatant example of how an abrupt and forced green transition jeopardises one of the community’s main activities (Figure 3). In other words, the installation of power stations threatens the continuation of reindeer herding and Sámi traditions.

The Sámi people, long established in the north of the Scandinavian peninsula and Kola, have a history of colonialism in which they assimilated Western customs The imposition of colonialism was a threat to the continuity of this minority. However, the communities have been resilient and able to find solutions to maintain their identity and culture. In fact, in 1989, the Norwegian Sámi Act was created in which the Norwegian government must ensure that the culture of the Sámi communities is protected and must ensure the proper functioning of the Sámi Assembly. In addition, the government also has to ensure that the community is heard before making decisions for the country.

The article therefore analyses interviews with people (Sámi) involved in reindeer herding and takes stock of the impact that the installation of wind farms has on the community. At the same time, a feeling of lack of commitment on the part of the Norwegian government towards the Sámi can be seen, as well as how this community wants to continue fighting to be heard.

In conclusion, the transition to greener energies can and must be made, but it must also include Indigenous communities living within sovereign territories. Including the Sámi voice in this process is fundamental if the energy transition is to be truly for everyone. It is also important to warn of the dangers of excluding minorities in order to help create a well-informed public opinion capable of recognising that communities also have the right to be heard and safeguarded by justice.

Reference: Normann, S. (2021). Green colonialism in the Nordic context: Exploring Southern Saami representations of wind energy development. Journal of Community Psychology, 49(1), 77–94. 

https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22422

Author: Santiago Villalobos Dantas

The reduction of ice in certain regions not only generates instability, putting the lives of those looking for food at risk, but also triggers changes in ecosystems. Another critical factor in the loss of ecosystems is related to the acidification of the Arctic Ocean (Fig.1). This phenomenon occurs due to the influx of melting river waters, causing the displacement of some fish species. It is important to note that, on the other hand, other species may benefit from acidification. Understanding the consequences of these changes encompasses cultural, identity and community issues, including the sharing of traditional and ancestral knowledge that is being lost.

As we delve deeper into the study, we see that the health of these populations and communities is at risk, both nutritionally, due to the loss of access to certain foods, and mentally. However, it is necessary to bear in mind that the other side of climate change verified in that region allows an increase in resource extraction, tourism and economic development. Everything is interconnected.

The authors of the report present seven case studies to show the situation in different areas of the Arctic region and in different communities that have found ways to adapt resiliently to the new circumstances (Fig.2). This new reality is no longer restricted to the Arctic or indigenous populations

Author: Céline Rodrigues

Reference: Arctic Council, Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment (PAME). (2021). Indigenous Food Security in the Arctic, Implications of a Changing Ocean. Information Brief.

https://pame.is/doclink/mpa-information-brief-indigenous-food-security-in-the-arctic/eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJtcGEtaW5mb3JtYXRpb24tYnJpZWYtaW5kaWdlbm91cy1mb29kLXNlY3VyaXR5LWluLXRoZS1hcmN0aWMiLCJpYXQiOjE2MjE0OTg0MTEsImV4cCI6MTYyMTU4NDgxMX0.OiJzl0OyRDTdvq1faMQhUvEgmSxn2wEeQuL0RLVupA8

The authors of this study analysed the plasticity of the daily energy expenditure (DEE) of an Arctic seabird, the little auk (Alle alle), in response to the sea surface temperature (SST) and summer ice cover (SIC), which affect copepod availability, their main food source. Data from colonies in East Greenland and Southwest Spitsbergen, Svalbard was analysed. In addition, the bioenergetic characteristics may also be influenced by exposure to chemical substances, and as such they also tested their response to the presence of mercury, typically released in the Arctic with the melting of permafrost (1).

In bird species, the DEE during the chick-rearing season is usually about 4 times the basal metabolic rate (BMR, 2), with a superior limit of 7x BMR, and little auks have a BMR of approximately 1.09KJ per day, per gram of body weight. In Greenland, the high costs of flying associated with a low SIC and a high SST elevated the DEE from below 4x BMR to above that value, without reaching the superior limit. In Svalbard, the DEE was even higher, associated with a higher investment in diving in search of prey (Figure 1). The observed values are typical of the reproductive season, and thus there was no evidence of an unsustainable energetic expenditure associated with SST, SIC and mercury exposure.

Little auks demonstrated plasticity in managing their energy use towards an oscillation in oceanic conditions and prey availability. Strategies to maintain resource intake include increased time and area when in search of food and altering the breeding season to match high available resource peaks. Nonetheless, species with lower energy amplitudes may show less plasticity. And on top of that, modelling future scenarios suggests a continuous increase in SST, which may threaten the physical capability of these birds.

Understanding the limits and energy trades of various species in a context of environmental variability should be a priority in future research. Little auks are true ecosystem engineers because they contribute to the flux of nutrients between the terrestrial and marine domains. As such, changes in these population dynamics due to a possible unsustainable energy expenditure may result in a cascade effect for the ecosystems.

(1) Permafrost = Underground layer of the Earth’s crust that is permanently frozen.

(2) Basal metabolic rate = Energy quantity necessary to maintain vital functions of an organism during 24 hours, measured in calories.

Author: Débora Carmo

Source: Grunst, M. L., Grunst, A. S., David, G., Kato, A., Bustamante, P., Albert, C., Brisson-Curadeau, E., Manon, C., Cruz-Flores, M., Gentès, S., Grissot, A., Perret, S., Eric, S.-M., Jakubas, D., Wojczulanis-Jakubas, K., & Fort, J. (2023). A keystone avian predator faces elevated energy expenditure in a warming Arctic. Ecology, March, 1–12. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.4034

Between 2017 and 2019, samples from the adipose tissue of ringed seals captured by indigenous hunters from western Canada were examined. The technique used for the analysis has a capacity to detect microplastic particles as small as 10 microns. Surprisingly, the results indicated that none of the samples contained detectable microplastics. This differs from previous studies that found high levels of microplastics in the adipose tissue of other seal species, such as ribbon seals.

Fibers are usually the most common type of microplastics found in marine mammals, followed by fragments and films. Even though the researchers have found small plastic based fibers in the samples, it is believed that their origin is based on contamination during sample handling in the laboratory. Cohen’s D, or standardized mean difference, is a common way to test whether an effect size is significant, statistically speaking, which in this case related to the ingestion of microplastic particles. In this study, with a sample size of content from 10 seal individuals, the observed effect was 0.37. For that value to be sifnificant, the sample would have to be composed of 91 individuals, being that with the 10 individuals examined, the effect would only be significant with a Cohen’s D value of at least 1.16 (blue and red lines, respectively, Fig.1).

According to the researchers, the absence of microplastics in ringed seals in this study may be related to a small ingestion of plastic particles, compared with other marine fauna. Their main food supply is composed by fish, which presents a far less probability of microplastic ingestion, contrary to a diet dominated by benthic invertebrates. However, it is also possible that the technique used for analysis may not have been the most sensible to detect plastic particles with smaller dimensions, or that the study region in Canada is not exposed to the same levels of microplastics as other areas.

Although this study provides us with good news on this microplastic free ringed seal population in western Canada, it is still important to remember that other studies of the same kind have found high levels of microplastics in other populations around the world. Therefore, it is crucial to continue researching the presence and effects of microplastics in marine ecosystems in order to better understand their impacts and take measures to protect marine life and human health.

Overall, this study highlights the need for continued research on microplastics and their effects on marine organisms. It also emphasizes the importance of taking action to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the ocean, through measures such as reducing plastic use and improving waste management systems. By working together to address this global issue, we can help protect marine ecosystems and the animals that rely on them for survival! 

Source: Jardine, A.M., Provencher, J.F., Insley, S.J., Tauzer, L., Halliday, W.D., Bourdages, M.P.T., Houde, M., Muir, D., Vermaire, J.C. (2023). No accumulation of microplastics detected in western Canadian ringed seals (Pusa hispida). Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Mar;188:114692

DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114692

Author: Laura Lopes

However, due to the decrease in the extent of this ice, they have difficulties foraging for their prey. Consequently, the decrease access to prey can cause a cycle of negative effects, from reduction in the body condition, to a decrease in the number of cubs and, in some regions, a population decline.

Despite the existence of a few studies that address the effect that climate induces on the extent of sea ice and consequently on polar bear populations, it is equally essential to understand the impacts that climate change can have on the individual behaviour of this species (e.g., increased demand for land resources; increase in human-bear conflicts). Thus, drones have become an important tool for wildlife conservation research since they are recognized as an alternative to traditional methods for data collection. Being an accessible and non-invasive tool, it can be a good alternative to collect data without disturbing wildlife.

In this study, the authors highlight the benefits of using drones to study the behaviour of polar bears. They used drones to study the polar bear foraging behaviour on East Bay Island, Nunavut, Canada (64°01’47.00” N, 81 °47’16.7” W) over three field seasons (2016 – 2018).

Regarding the benefits that drone’s utilization can bring to study the polar bear behaviour, authors had divided them in the following fields:

• Human and bear safety
• Data collection and quality
• Data storage and review
• Collaboration opportunities with local communities

Besides those benefits, the authors also identify potential drone applications for polar bear behaviour research:

• Foraging behaviour
• Interspecific interactions
• Human-bear interaction
• Human safety and conflict mitigation
• Den site location

Studying individual-level responses of polar bears to the effects of climate changes will allow to collect information about their individual behaviour and consequently may help to characterize population trends. The use of drones can be a very useful mechanism to understand the polar bear’s behaviour at an individual level on small spatial scales, where traditional mechanisms and researchers themselves are often unable to reach and monitor. In this way, the drone can be, presently and in the future, a crucial tool in helping the conservation of this species, providing data previously unknown to scientists.

Authores: Joana Fragão e José Abreu

Source: Jagielski, P. M., Barnas, A. F., Grant Gilchrist, H., Richardson, E. S., Love, O. P., & Semeniuk, C. A. (2022). The utility of drones for studying polar bear behaviour in the Canadian Arctic: opportunities and recommendations. Drone Systems and Applications, 10(1), 97-110.

Barents Sea is an extremely rich habitat, with high primary productivity, making this place an important habitat for numerous species, such as marine sponges. Here, it is possible to find a large community of marine sponges, such as GeodiaBarretti. These are considered fundamental to the habitat and serve as natural indicators of Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems. However, the increasing rate of trawling is also increasing the damage to the sea floor, which is often irreversible.

This study aimed to analyze the effects of trawling on the abundance of Geodia spp. and diversity of associated fauna species. Therefore, were used images collected by an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle), of two locations with completely different levels of drag (location with low and heavy impact), which were compared. Through the analysis between the two locations, it is possible to verify the consequences that long-term trawling creates. In the place where trawling is not so frequent, it was possible to find a relatively diverse and abundant sponge community, in contrast to the place where trawling is more frequent.

Several studies have shown that the continuity of trawls in the same location leads to functional changes in benthic communities. Sponges have a high filtration rate, which allows them to remove a large amount of particles from the environment, including viruses and other pathogens. However, if the intensity of trawling continues to increase, and consequently to a decrease in the abundance of sponges in the Barents Sea, this habitat will experience an increase in the amount of particulate carbon deposited on the seafloor. With the increase in carbon, this location becomes more favourable for species that feed on dead organic matter. Which in turn leads to a change in the functional diversity of the system.

The authors concluded that bottom fishing significantly reduces sponge communities, reduces sponge abundance and size, and creates a change in species and functional diversity, and subsequently in ecosystem function and services.

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Source:Colaço, A., Rapp, H. T., Campanyà-Llovet, N., & Pham, C. K. (2022). Bottom trawling in sponge grounds of the Barents Sea (Arctic Ocean): A functional diversity approach. Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers, 183, 103742.

Author: Eva Lopes