Antarctic climate change and the environment

Convey, Peter; Bindschadler, Robert; Prisco, Guido di; Fahrbach, Eberhard; Gutt, Julian; Hodgson, Dominic A.; Mayewski, Paul Andrew; Summerhayes, Colin; Turner, John

doi:10.1017/s0954102009990642

Cited by 201 publications

(124 citation statements)

References 139 publications

(202 reference statements)

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“…Freshening has already been reported in the Ross Sea and has been attributed to changes in precipitation, sea ice production, and melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet (Jacobs et al, 2002). Projected changes to the remaining area of East Antarctica are not well understood but similar trends are anticipated (Watanabe et al, 2003;Convey et al, 2009;Gutt et al, 2015).…”

Section: East Antarcticamentioning

confidence: 79%

“…The sea ice is one of the largest and most dynamic ecosystems on earth, extending to over 19 million km 2 in winter and retreating to ∼3 million km 2 over summer (Brierley and Thomas, 2002;Comiso and Nishio, 2008;Convey et al, 2009). Total productivity within the SSIZ has been estimated at ∼140-180 Tg C yr −1 (Arrigo et al, 1997(Arrigo et al, , 2008b.…”

Section: Seasonal Sea Ice Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

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Southern Ocean Phytoplankton in a Changing Climate

2017

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Phytoplankton are the base of the Antarctic food web, sustain the wealth and diversity of life for which Antarctica is renowned, and play a critical role in biogeochemical cycles that mediate global climate. Over the vast expanse of the Southern Ocean (SO), the climate is variously predicted to experience increased warming, strengthening wind, acidification, shallowing mixed layer depths, increased light (and UV), changes in upwelling and nutrient replenishment, declining sea ice, reduced salinity, and the southward migration of ocean fronts. These changes are expected to alter the structure and function of phytoplankton communities in the SO. The diverse environments contained within the vast expanse of the SO will be impacted differently by climate change; causing the identity and the magnitude of environmental factors driving biotic change to vary within and among bioregions. Predicting the net effect of multiple climate-induced stressors over a range of environments is complex. Yet understanding the response of SO phytoplankton to climate change is vital if we are to predict the future state/s of the ecosystem, estimate the impacts on fisheries and endangered species, and accurately predict the effects of physical and biotic change in the SO on global climate. This review looks at the major environmental factors that define the structure and function of phytoplankton communities in the SO, examines the forecast changes in the SO environment, predicts the likely effect of these changes on phytoplankton, and considers the ramifications for trophodynamics and feedbacks to global climate change. Predictions strongly suggest that all regions of the SO will experience changes in phytoplankton productivity and community composition with climate change. The nature, and even the sign, of these changes varies within and among regions and will depend upon the magnitude and sequence in which these environmental changes are imposed. It is likely that predicted changes to phytoplankton communities will affect SO biogeochemistry, carbon export, and nutrition for higher trophic levels.

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Section: East Antarcticamentioning

confidence: 79%

Section: Seasonal Sea Ice Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

Southern Ocean Phytoplankton in a Changing Climate

2017

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“…Temperature, UV-B, and changes in water availability have been identified as the three key factors that will change in the Antarctic regions with climate change. Despite this, there have been few long-term studies of the response of Antarctic vegetation to climate [29,30]. …”

Section: Study Area and Datasetmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Automated Technique for Generating Georectified Mosaics from Ultra-High Resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery, Based on Structure from Motion (SfM) Point Clouds

2012

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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are an exciting new remote sensing tool capable of acquiring high resolution spatial data. Remote sensing with UAVs has the potential to provide imagery at an unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution. The small footprint of UAV imagery, however, makes it necessary to develop automated techniques to geometrically rectify and mosaic the imagery such that larger areas can be monitored. In this paper, we present a technique for geometric correction and mosaicking of UAV photography using feature matching and Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques. Images are processed to create three dimensional point clouds, initially in an arbitrary model space. The point clouds are transformed into a real-world coordinate system using either a direct georeferencing technique that uses estimated camera positions or via a Ground Control Point (GCP) technique that uses automatically identified GCPs within the point cloud. The point cloud is then used to generate a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) required for rectification of the images. Subsequent georeferenced images are then joined together to form a mosaic of the study area. The absolute spatial accuracy of the direct technique was found to be 65-120 cm whilst the GCP technique achieves an accuracy of approximately 10-15 cm.

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“…Of particular concern are the effects of global warming because of the rapid responses that ecosystems may undergo in circumpolar areas, and because of the mounting evidence of recent major changes in polar regions (Pienitz et al, 2004;Convey et al, 2009). But to put present global change into context there is a need for long-term records of environmental changes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors controlling the geochemical composition of Limnopolar Lake sediments (Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Island, Antarctica) during the last ca. 1600 years

Cortizas¹,

Muñiz

Rodríguez

et al. 2014

Solid Earth

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Abstract. We sampled a short (57 cm) sediment core in Limnopolar Lake (Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands), which spans the last ca. 1600 years. The core was sectioned at high resolution and analyzed for elemental and mineralogical composition, and scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDS) analysis of glass mineral particles in selected samples. The chemical record was characterized by a contrasted pattern of layers with high Ca, Ti, Zr, and Sr concentrations and layers with higher concentrations of K and Rb. The former were also enriched in plagioclase and, occasionally, in zeolites, while the latter were relatively enriched in 2 : 1 phyllosilicates and quartz. This was interpreted as reflecting the abundance of volcaniclastic material (Ca rich) versus Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous marine sediments (K rich) -the dominant geological material in the lake catchment. SEM-EDS analysis revealed the presence of abundant volcanic shards in the Ca-rich layers, pointing to tephras most probably related to the activity of Deception Island volcano (located 30 km to the SE). The ages of four main peaks of volcanic-rich material (AD ca. 1840-1860 for L1, AD ca. 1570-1650 for L2, AD ca. 1450-1470 for L3, and AD ca. 1300 for L4) matched reasonably well the age of tephra layers (AP1 to AP3) previously identified in lakes of Byers Peninsula. Some of the analyzed metals (Fe, Mn, Cu, and Cr) showed enrichments in the most recent tephra layer (L1), suggesting relative changes in the composition of the tephras as found in previous investigations. No evidence of significant human impact on the cycles of most trace metals (Cu, Zn, Pb) was found, probably due to the remote location of Livingston Island and the modest research infrastructures; local contamination was found by other researchers in soils, waters and marine sediments on areas with large, permanent research stations. Chromium is the only metal showing a steady enrichment in the last 200 years, but this cannot be directly attributed to anthropogenic pollution since recent research supports the interpretation that climatic variability (reduced moisture content and increased wind intensity) may have resulted in enhanced fluxes of mineral dust and trace elements (Cr among them) to Antarctica. At the same time, some features of the chemical record suggest that climate may have also played a role in the cycling of the elements, but further research is needed to identify the underlying mechanisms.

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Antarctic climate change and the environment

Cited by 201 publications

References 139 publications

Southern Ocean Phytoplankton in a Changing Climate

Southern Ocean Phytoplankton in a Changing Climate

An Automated Technique for Generating Georectified Mosaics from Ultra-High Resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery, Based on Structure from Motion (SfM) Point Clouds

Factors controlling the geochemical composition of Limnopolar Lake sediments (Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, South Shetland Island, Antarctica) during the last ca. 1600 years

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