Sea ice, rain-on-snow and tundra reindeer nomadism in Arctic Russia

Forbes, Bruce C.; Kumpula, Timo; Meschtyb, Nina; Laptander, Roza; Macias‐Fauria, Marc; Zetterberg, Pentti; Verdonen, Mariana; Skarin, Anna; Kim, Kwang‐Yul; Boisvert, Linette N.; Stroeve, Julienne; Bartsch, Annett

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0466

Cited by 137 publications

(144 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Increased frequency of the rain-on-snow in recent years across the southern Spitsbergen is an important indicator of on-going climate change, also in other sectors of the Arctic [38,39,48]. RoS events started to be the indirectly investigated in the Hornsund area as early as the 1980s [49].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melting Characteristics of Snow Cover on Tidewater Glaciers in Hornsund Fjord, Svalbard

Laska

Barzycka

Luks

2017

Water

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Abstract:In recent years, the Svalbard area, especially its southern section, has been characterised by an exceptionally thin snow cover, which has a significant impact of the annual mass balance of glaciers. The objective of this study was to determine melting processes of the snow cover deposited on 11 glaciers that terminate into Hornsund Fjord during the melting period of 2014. The study included analyses of snow pits and snow cores, meteorological data collected from automatic weather stations and Polish Polar Station Hornsund, and supervised classification of six Landsat 8 images for assessing the progress of snow cover melting. The calculated Snow-Covered Area (SCA) varied from 98% at the beginning of the melting season to 43% at the end of August. The melting vertical gradient on Hansbreen was −0.34 m 100 m −1 , leading to surface melting of −1.4 cm water equivalent (w.e.) day −1 in the ablation zone (c. 200 m a.s.l. (above sea level)) and −0.7 cm w.e. day −1 in the accumulation zone (c. 400 m a.s.l.). Furthermore, the study identified several observed features such as low snow depth in the accumulation zone of the Hornsund glaciers, a large proportion of the snow layers (12-27%) produced by rain-on-snow events, and a frequent occurrence of summer thermal inversions (80% annually), indicating that the area is experiencing intensive climate changes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Melting Characteristics of Snow Cover on Tidewater Glaciers in Hornsund Fjord, Svalbard

Laska

Barzycka

Luks

2017

Water

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“…Icing events, which result in malnutrition and starvation, have been associated with catastrophic die-offs of Rangifer (but see Tyler 2010) and other ungulates (Forchhammer and Boertmann 1993;Putkonen and Roe 2003). These events have particular significance in the High Arctic among Peary caribou (Miller and Gunn 2003;Tews et al 2007a;Miller and Barry 2009;Langlois et al 2017) and Svalbard reindeer (Kohler and Aanes 2004;Hansen et al 2014), but they have also been observed in semi-domesticated reindeer populations in Scandinavia (Heggberget et al 2002;Putkonen and Roe 2003) and Russia (Bartsch et al 2010;Forbes et al 2016). Noncatastrophic rain-on-snow and icing events have negative associations with body condition (Bartsch et al 2010;Loe et al 2016) and reproductive success (Helle and Kojola 2008;Stien et al 2012) in caribou and reindeer.…”

Section: Extreme Weather and Icing Eventsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observed and predicted effects of climate change on Arctic caribou and reindeer

2018

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Abstract:The ability of many species to adapt to the shifting environmental conditions associated with climate change will be a key determinant of their persistence in the coming decades. This is a challenge already faced by species in the Arctic, where rapid environmental change is well underway. Caribou and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) play a key role in Arctic ecosystems and provide irreplaceable socioeconomic value to many northern peoples. Recent decades have seen declines in many Rangifer populations, and there is strong concern that climate change is threatening the viability of this iconic Arctic species. We examine the literature to provide a thorough and full consideration of the many environmental factors that limit caribou and reindeer populations, and how these might be affected by a warming climate. Our review suggests that the response of Rangifer populations to climate change is, and will continue to be, varied in large part to their broad circumpolar distribution. While caribou and reindeer could have some resilience to climate change, current global trends in abundance undermine all but the most precautionary outlooks. Ultimately, the conservation of Rangifer populations will require careful management that considers the local and regional manifestations of climate change.Key words: climate change, caribou, reindeer, Rangifer, Arctic.Résumé : La capacité de bien des espèces à s'adapter aux conditions changeantes du milieu, associées au changement climatique, sera un facteur déterminant de leur pérennité dans les décennies à venir. Ceci constitue un défi auquel les espèces sont déjà confrontées dans l'Arctique, où la dégradation rapide de l'environnement est bien amorcée. Les caribous et les rennes (Rangifer tarandus) jouent un rôle essentiel dans les écosystèmes arctiques et apportent une valeur socio-économique irremplaçable aux populations du Nord. Au cours des dernières décennies, il y a eu des déclins dans beaucoup de populations de Rangifer et il règne une grande inquiétude que le changement climatique menace la viabilité de cette espèce iconique de l'Arctique. Nous examinons la littérature afin de fournir une étude complète et minutieuse des nombreux facteurs du milieu restreignant les populations de caribous et de rennes, et de déterminer comment ces populations pourraient être touchées par le réchauffement climatique. Notre examen suggère que la réponse des populations de Rangifer au changement climatique est, et continuera à être, diverse principalement en raison de leur vaste aire de répartition circumpolaire. Tandis que les caribous et les rennes pourraient avoir une certaine résilience au changement climatique, les tendances globales actuelles d'abondance des espèces affaiblissent toutes les perspectives sauf les plus préoccupantes. En fin de compte, la conservation des populations de Rangifer nécessitera une gestion prudente qui prenne en compte les manifestations locales et régionales de changement climatique. [Traduit par la Rédaction]

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“…Caribou calves <1 month in age, however, have higher survival rates in years with earlier snowmelt (Griffith et al 2002), although all resident grazing species in the Arctic (e.g., caribou, reindeer, muskox, voles, etc.) are vulnerable to rainon-snow events during winter that can render their forage inaccessible (Stien et al 2012;Forbes et al 2016). Offshore, earlier trends in sea ice melt onset (Stroeve et al 2014) have contributed to unprecedented sea ice losses in late summer, which in turn have altered the seasonal noting that the prevailing October onshore winds are from the east-northeast (onshore) and that Utqiaġvik is a coastal location.…”

Section: Ecological Responses To Changing Seasonalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Drivers and Environmental Responses to the Changing Annual Snow Cycle of Northern Alaska

Cox

Stone

Douglas

et al. 2017

Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society

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Linkages between atmospheric, ecological, and biogeochemical variables in the changing Arctic are analyzed using long-term measurements near Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska. Two key variables are the date when snow disappears in spring, as determined primarily by atmospheric dynamics, precipitation, air temperature, winter snow accumulation, and cloud cover, and the date of onset of snowpack in autumn that is additionally influenced by ocean temperature and sea ice extent. In 2015 and 2016 the snow melted early at Utqiaġvik owing mainly to anomalous warmth during May of both years attributed to atmospheric circulation patterns, with 2016 having the record earliest snowmelt. These years are discussed in the context of a 115-yr snowmelt record at Utqiaġvik with a trend toward earlier melting since the mid-1970s (–2.86 days decade–1, 1975–2016). At nearby Cooper Island, where a colony of seabirds, black guillemots, have been monitored since 1975, timing of egg laying is correlated with Utqiaġvik snowmelt with 2015 and 2016 being the earliest years in the 42-yr record. Ice out at a nearby freshwater lagoon is also correlated with Utqiaġvik snowmelt. The date when snow begins to accumulate in autumn at Utqiaġvik shows a trend toward later dates (+4.6 days decade–1, 1975–2016), with 2016 being the latest on record. The relationships between the lengthening snow-free season and regional phenology, soil temperatures, fluxes of gases from the tundra, and to regional sea ice conditions are discussed. Better understanding of these interactions is needed to predict the annual snow cycles in the region at seasonal to decadal scales and to anticipate coupled environmental responses.

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Sea ice, rain-on-snow and tundra reindeer nomadism in Arctic Russia

Cited by 137 publications

References 26 publications

Melting Characteristics of Snow Cover on Tidewater Glaciers in Hornsund Fjord, Svalbard

Melting Characteristics of Snow Cover on Tidewater Glaciers in Hornsund Fjord, Svalbard

Observed and predicted effects of climate change on Arctic caribou and reindeer

Drivers and Environmental Responses to the Changing Annual Snow Cycle of Northern Alaska

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