Environmental change and impacts in the Kangerlussuaq area, West Greenland

Yde, Jacob C.; Anderson, Nicholas; Post, Eric; Saros, Jasmine E.; Telling, Jon

doi:10.1080/15230430.2018.1433786

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…The study area is the Kangerlussuaq region (67 00 0 N, 50 43 0 20 00 W) of West Greenland (Figure 1) for which substantial contemporary and historical ecological, geomorphological and meteorological data are available (Yde et al, 2018). This ice-free area of land is situated between the Labrador Sea and the Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) and is geomorphologically representative of many Arctic proglacial systems (Anderson et al, 2017).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and seasonal source‐proximal dust concentrations in complex terrain, West Greenland

Bullard

Prater

Baddock

et al. 2023

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Diurnal and seasonal cycles of aeolian activity are well‐constrained for low latitude dust source regions and provide valuable insights into relationships between dust emissions and environmental drivers. Such cycles have received little systematic attention in high latitude dust source areas (≥50°N and ≥40°S), and understanding them will aid the modelling of atmospheric dust over different timescales. This paper examines the timing and drivers of atmospheric dust concentration close to source at ice‐free locations c. 6 km and c. 37 km from the Greenland Ice Sheet margin. Dust concentration, and associated environmental drivers including wind speed and velocity, air temperature and humidity, was measured from April–October 2018 and April–August 2019. Measured dust concentrations were a similar order of magnitude to source‐proximal values measured globally and varied from 0 to ≥1000 μg m−3. Diurnal cycles in the environmental drivers of dust emission were similar to those observed in low latitudes, but unlike in the low latitudes, there was no clear diurnal pattern of dust concentration. Only 3 out of 17 recorded dust events showed a significant positive relationship between wind speed and dust concentration, and factors such as wind direction, humidity and sediment availability are the over‐riding controls on dust activity at the event and seasonal scales. Whereas 7 dust events are attributed to down‐valley katabatic winds, 10 events were associated with a westerly sea breeze blowing up‐valley towards the ice sheet and high atmospheric moisture content. If deposited on the ice, this dust will alter ice albedo both directly and indirectly, (e.g. through the promotion of algal blooms) affecting cryospheric melt rates. Our results demonstrate an intricate relationship between first‐order controls and dust concentration that raises challenges for modelling the uplift and subsequent dust transport from high latitude sources, especially the appropriateness of assumptions based on emissions behaviour at low latitudes.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diurnal and seasonal source‐proximal dust concentrations in complex terrain, West Greenland

Bullard

Prater

Baddock

et al. 2023

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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“…The area has been extensively studied and is geomorphologically representative of many Arctic proglacial systems (Anderson et al, 2017). It includes floodplains with aeolian sand dunes, braided and meandering meltwater‐fed river systems, raised marine terraces, moraine ridges, numerous lakes, low mountains and an extensive marine delta and fjord (Yde et al, 2018). Most locally‐derived dust and region‐wide loess originates from glacial floodplains which form from glacial weathering and riverine deposition of granodiorite (Eisner et al, 1995).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Annual and seasonal variability in high latitude dust deposition, West Greenland

Soest

Bullard

Prater

et al. 2022

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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High latitude regions (≥ 50 N and ≥ 40 S) are thought to contribute substantially to contemporary global dust emissions which can influence biogeochemical cycling as well as geomorphic, cryospheric and atmospheric processes. However, there are few measurements of the emission or deposition of dust derived from these areas that extend beyond a single event or season. This article reports the deposition of locally-derived dust to an ice-free area of West Greenland over 2 years from 23 traps distributed across five sampling sites. Local dust sources include glacial outwash plains, glacially-derived delta deposits and the reworking of loessic soils. Annual dust deposition is estimated at 37.3 to 93.9 g m À2 for 2017-2018 and 9.74 to 28.4 g m À2 in 2018-2019. This annual variation is driven by high deposition rates observed in spring 2017 of 0.48 g m À2 d À1 compared to the range of 0.03 to 0.07 g m À2 d À1 during the rest of the monitoring period. The high deposition rates in spring 2017 were due to warmer than average conditions and high meltwater sediment supply that delivered large quantities of sediment to local outwash plains in 2016. For other seasons, dust deposition was lower over both autumn-winter periods (0.03 g m À2 d À1 ) than during the spring and summer (0.04-0.07 g m À2 d À1 ). When sediment availability is limited, dust deposition increases with increasing temperature and wind speed.Secondary data from dust-related weather type/observation codes and visibility records were found to be inconsistent with measured dust deposition during the period of study. One possible reason for this is the complex nature of the terrain between the observation and sample sites. The dust deposition rates measured here and the infidelity of the observed dust with secondary data sources reveal the importance of direct quantification of dust processes to accurately constrain the dust cycle at high latitudes.

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“…The tundra of western Greenland is an area of numerous lakes that have been well studied for biogeochemistry, wildlife, and paleoclimate (Anderson et al, ; Anderson & Leng, ; Kopec et al, ; Law et al, ; Post & Pedersen, ; Saros et al, ; Yde et al, ). Building upon previous work and observations in this area, the objectives of this study are to (1) determine regional‐scale changes to lake area and abundance from 1969–2017 using remote sensing and (2) examine seasonal variation in west Greenland weather and climate records and relate these records to lake dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changing Lake Dynamics Indicate a Drier Arctic in Western Greenland

et al. 2019

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The water balance of the Arctic tundra is shifting as permafrost stability, seasonality, and the ratio of precipitation to evaporation respond to amplified Arctic warming. While in some northern tundra locations there has been a notable increase in the number of water bodies, generally, the tundra landscape has experienced a decline in the number and area of lakes. We analyzed changes in small lake count (<10,000 m 2 ), large lake count (>10,000 m 2 ), and lake surface area across the periglacial tundra of western Greenland, using historical satellite and aerial imagery and weather data from the late 1960s to present. Overall, we found a decrease in lake count (21%) and surface area (2%) across our study region. Specifically, smaller ponds were particularly prone to change, with decreases of 28% in count and 15% in surface area. Shrinking lakes often became revegetated by both emergent aquatic and terrestrial vegetation, which captures potential successional trajectories following Arctic lake drying. Additionally, while annual precipitation may be increasing, it occurred primarily during the winter months in the form of snow, which may or may not contribute to the overall growing season water budget. Conversely, the peak growing season months of June, July, and August all have experienced significant increases in potential evaporation rates, thus likely creating a water deficit for much of the growing season. These results suggest that a large section of deglaciated Greenland appears likely to become drier in the summer months, which may result in widespread ecological consequences.Plain Language Summary Arctic tundra environments may become drier as the climate continues to warm, due to changes in precipitation and evaporation patterns, and losses of permanent ground ice. In many Arctic systems, lakes are widely distributed and thus can serve as an early indicator of drying conditions. We predicted that our study region of west Greenland would be particularly susceptible to drying due to low levels of precipitation and observed warming trends at a rate of approximately 0.5°C per decade. Using historical and modern satellite and aerial imagery, we observed a decrease in the number of small lakes by 28% and a 15% decrease in the total area of smaller water bodies between 1969 and 2017. Additionally, we found that many of the disappeared lakes from 1969 appeared to have become vegetated. An analysis of historical weather data suggested that water losses to the atmosphere via evaporation have likely increased, especially in the summer months, which may be contributing to observed lake decline. Declining small lake area across our study region and other parts of the Arctic can have landscape-wide effects such as changes to available animal habitat, increases in the risk of fire, and to the prevalence of drought conditions.

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Environmental change and impacts in the Kangerlussuaq area, West Greenland

Cited by 6 publications

References 45 publications

Diurnal and seasonal source‐proximal dust concentrations in complex terrain, West Greenland

Diurnal and seasonal source‐proximal dust concentrations in complex terrain, West Greenland

Annual and seasonal variability in high latitude dust deposition, West Greenland

Changing Lake Dynamics Indicate a Drier Arctic in Western Greenland

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