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First recorded ice entrapment of a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) in east Greenland Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 Kristin L. Laidre, Jasmine Ware, Marie Zahn, Peter Hegelund, Jon Aars
Beluga whales are rare along the coast of east Greenland and the closest recognized stock occurs around Svalbard. Here we report on an ice entrapment of an adult beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) in north-east Greenland. The whale was observed entrapped in the fast ice on 21 April 2023 in Loch Fyne (73°54’N, 21°51’W) during a visual aerial survey for polar bears (Ursus maritimus). The whale was
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Cretaceous–Palaeogene lobsters, Hoploparia stokesi (Weller, 1903), from Antarctica: historical review, and transfer of specimens from the United States Polar Rock Repository Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-02-16 Loren E. Babcock, Rodney F. Feldmann, Anne Grunow
The nephropid lobster Hoploparia stokesi (Weller 1903a) is widely distributed among the islands of the Antarctic Peninsula, where it occurs in strata of Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian) to Palaeogene (Paleocene) age. Specimens of H. stokesi collected during expeditions in the 1980s that were in the collection of the United States Polar Rock Repository at The Ohio State University have been transferred
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Garbage consumption by Arctic terrestrial predators in one of the most pristine land areas on Earth Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2024-01-05 Araceli Gort-Esteve, Muzit Abrham, Christian Carøe, Johannes Måsviken, Susana Freire, Nicolas Lecomte, Patrícia Pečnerová, Anders Angerbjörn, Jordi Bartolomé Filella, Karin Norén, Fredrik Dalerum
Garbage may cause substantial environmental perturbations, in part because of its consumption by wildlife. Such consumption may have direct health implications for animals and may also influence trophic relationships. Even in pristine Arctic ecosystems, wildlife feeding in marine environments consume garbage in the form of plastic debris transported by ocean currents. We show that Arctic wildlife in
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An agenda for the future of Arctic snow research: the view from Svalbard Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-12-31 Christian Zdanowicz, Jean-Charles Gallet, Rosamaria Salvatori, Eirik Malnes, Ketil Isaksen, Christiane Hübner, Eleanor Jones, Heikki Lihavainen
The Arctic region is warming at over twice the mean rate of the Northern Hemisphere and nearly four times faster than the globe since 1979. The local rate of warming is even higher in the European archipelago of Svalbard. This warming is transforming the terrestrial snow cover, which modulates surface energy exchanges with the atmosphere, accounts for most of the runoff in Arctic catchments and is
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Increases in graminoids after three decades of change in the High Arctic Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-12-08 James A. Schaefer
Climate change portends serious implications for Arctic vegetation. Understanding these effects is likely to be enhanced with long-term observations from permanent plots. I evaluated three decades of change in tundra vegetation from 80 permanent plots on south-eastern Victoria Island, Nunavut, Canada. I compared baseline (1991 and 1992) and contemporary (2019 and 2022) periods in the cover and frequency
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Influence of Seasonal Sea Ice Loss on Arctic Precipitation δ18O: A GCM-Based Analysis of Monthly Data Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-12-08 Wenxuan Song, Zhongfang Liu, Haimao Lan, Xiaohe Huan
Rapid Arctic warming and sea ice loss have led to an intensification of the Arctic hydrological cycle, which is characterized by increased local evaporation and precipitation. Stable water isotopes as environmental tracers can provide useful insights into the Arctic hydrological cycle. However, the paucity of isotopic observations in the Arctic has limited our understanding of the hydrological changes
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Summertime tintinnids in surface water of the Weddell and Cosmonaut seas: community structure and relationships with different water masses Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-11-23 Jingyuan Li, Haibo Li, Chaofeng Wang, Yuan Zhao, Li Zhao, Yi Dong, Wuchang Zhang
Tintinnids (Ciliophora) are important microzooplankton grazers. In the Southern Ocean, they are found in the Antarctic Zone, Polar Front and Subantarctic Zone. The Antarctic Zone encompasses large gyres (Weddell Gyre and Ross Gyre) and the Antarctic Slope Current around the continent. The influence of these water masses on tintinnid communities has not been studied. This study investigated the tintinnid
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Benthic foraminiferal investigations in Middle to Late Quaternary sections of Kongsfjordhallet, north-west Svalbard Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-29 Debolina Chatterjee, Anupam Ghosh, Helena Alexanderson
Stratigraphic sites in north-west Svalbard record at least six significant glacial advances in the last 200 Ky, and sediments deposited under locally high relative sea level during intervening interstadials or interglacials contain abundant benthic foraminifera. We present a biostratigraphic record from the Kongsfjordhallet site in the Kongsfjorden area that covers five high relative sea-level events
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Observations of long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) calves less than one year old, including neonates and a very recently born calf, in northern Norway Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-09-28 Seán A. O'Callaghan
Long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) are a widespread, highly social deep-diving cetacean species ranging from the sub-tropics to the High Arctic. Information on this species’ life history at higher latitudes is limited. Opportunistic observations of pilot whale calves were made in the spring and summer of 2020, summer of 2022 and spring of 2023 from commercial whale-watching boat trips out
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Variability of biothermal conditions in the vicinity of the Polish Antarctic station in the South Shetlands, West Antarctica Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-22 Joanna Plenzler, Katarzyna Piotrowicz, Weronika Rymer, Tomasz Budzik
There are nine year-round and 11 seasonal scientific stations in the South Shetland Islands, an area often visited by cruise ships and sailing yachts. Although this is the warmest part of Antarctica, the weather conditions may be demanding for humans. We analysed the variability of biothermal conditions near Henryk Arctowski Station Polish Antarctic Station, on King George Island, during the period
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A comparison of an operational wave–ice model product and drifting wave buoy observation in the central Arctic Ocean: investigating the effect of sea-ice forcing in thin ice cover Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-08-02 Takehiko Nose, Jean Rabault, Takuji Waseda, Tsubasa Kodaira, Yasushi Fujiwara, Tomotaka Katsuno, Naoya Kanna, Kazutaka Tateyama, Joey Voermans, Tatiana Alekseeva
A prototype OpenMetBuoy (OMB) was deployed alongside a commercial buoy in the central Arctic Ocean, north of the Laptev Sea, where there are historically no wave observations available. The inter-buoy comparison showed that the OMB measured wave heights and periods accurately, so the buoy data were used to study the predictability of a wave–ice model. The first event we studied was when both buoys
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First observations of emperor penguins on Horseshoe Island, Antarctica Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-07-31 Sinan Yirmibesoglu, Burcu Ozsoy
This note reports observations of two moulting emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) on Horseshoe Island, West Antarctica, during the Seventh Turkish Antarctic Expedition in February 2023. This is the first time this species has been documented on this island. Emperor penguins largely depend on fast-ice to breed and moult. The Antarctic Peninsula hosts few emperor penguin colonies. Horseshoe Island
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Observations of bowhead whales in west Greenland during summer Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-07-20 David Boertmann, Katrine Raundrup, Josephine Nymand, Janne Fritt-Rasmussen, Kasper L. Johansen
Bowhead whales (Baleana mysticetus) are usually away from west Greenland waters during summer. Reported here is an observation of at least six bowhead whales in July 2022 in the Uummannaq Fjord system of west Greenland.
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An Arctic expedition: a supposedly useful thing I’ll never do again Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-06-05 Maud van Soest
The aim of the second Scientific Expedition Edgeøya Spitsbergen (SEES), which took place from 13 to 22 July 2022, was to study the consequences of climate warming in the High Arctic, building on ecological data gathered by the Dutch Arctic Station on Edgeøya between 1968 and 1987 and the first SEES expedition in 2015. In this Perspective essay, I ponder the actual purpose of SEES 2022, in which I participated
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The Queen of the Arctic: Louise Arner Boyd Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-05-18 Elisabeth Isaksson, Anka Ryall
Louise Boyd (1887–1972) was a female pioneer in Arctic research whose legacy includes the exploration of north-east Greenland. In this Perspective piece, we use a broad interdisciplinary approach to investigate her career as a photographer and expedition leader. When documenting glacial retreat during the 1930s, she was at the forefront of the development of glaciology as a research discipline. Without
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Local temperature near native vascular plants in the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region, Antarctic Peninsula: annual variability and approximation using standard meteorological measurements Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-05-12 Mykhailo V. Savenets, Larysa Pysarenko, Svitlana Krakovska, Ivan Parnikoza, Denis Pishniak
We describe the main features of LT variability that influence native vascular plants in the Antarctic and examine the relationship between the temperature regime at the micro-level and meteorological conditions at the macro-level. We used a period of over a year, during which 37 specialized mini-loggers recorded LT near vascular plants in the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region of the Antarctic
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Carbon exchange and primary production in a High-Arctic peatland in Svalbard Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-30 Takayuki Nakatsubo, Mitsuru Hirota, Ayaka W. Kishimoto-Mo, Noriko Oura, Masaki Uchida
Moss tundra with a thick peat layer dominated by bryophytes is one of the most important ecosystems in the High Arctic of Svalbard, but little is known about the carbon dynamics of moss tundra. Here, we estimated the net primary production (NPP) and net ecosystem production (NEP) of moss tundra on Brøggerhalvøya (Brøgger Peninsula) of north-western Svalbard (79°N). The net photosynthetic and respiration
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Perceptions of decision-makers about a potential forum of cooperation in the eastern part of the North American Arctic Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-16 Mathieu Landriault, Jean-François Savard, Anna Soer
Cooperation in the Arctic region has been fruitful in the past few decades, generating several multilateral organizations and forums covering the entire circumpolar North. In many cases, forums were created to serve as catalysts, bringing together decision-makers from different backgrounds in a conference setting to promote dialogue and the exchange of ideas. To enquire about the possibility of creating
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An observation of white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) mating behaviour in the wild Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-08 Christian Lydersen, Kerstin Langenberger, Kit M. Kovacs
Herein we describe mating behaviour observed in a group of 20 white whales in Svalbard, Norway. A single female was the centre of attention during the 45-minute encounter, which was observed, photographed and videotaped at an ice edge in Storfjorden in June 2022. Several males surrounded the female and vigorously herded her from all sides. The female spy-hopped regularly, and sometimes her whole body
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Adult survival and annual movement patterns of common snipe in Iceland Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-03-07 Aevar Petersen, Sverrir Thorstensen, Ib K. Petersen, Scott W. Petrek, Kane Brides, Anna Calvert, Mark L. Mallory, Greg J. Robertson, Sarah E. Gutowsky
The common snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is a wader that breeds in subarctic regions from Iceland to Russia, and for which global populations are in decline. We studied snipe breeding in western Iceland between 1998 and 2020, locating nests and ringing birds annually. In 2019 and 2020, we deployed geolocators on nesting adults to estimate the timing of their annual migration and the location of overwintering
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Personal submersibles offer novel ecological research access to Antarctic waters: an example, with observations of the rarely encountered scyphozoan Stygiomedusa gigantea Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2023-01-30 Daniel M. Moore, Anna Elina Flink, Eva Prendergast, Antony Gilbert
Underwater biological surveys have been conducted around the Antarctic continent for several decades, and our knowledge of the species present in the shallow waters (<50 m) is reasonably comprehensive. However, the waters below 50 m remain underexplored on the account of difficulty of access, financial barriers and relatively few operational platforms capable of deployment to such depths. Here, we
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Diesel spills under stilted buildings in Canadian Arctic villages: what is the best remediation method? Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-12-23 Vincent Taillard, Richard Martel, Louis-César Pasquier, Jean-François Blais, Véronique Gilbert, Guy Mercier
In remote communities in the Canadian Arctic, petroleum hydrocarbons supply most household energy needs. Their transportation and use frequently incurs small volume spills in populated areas. The remediation method that is currently used when such spills affect the soil under northern villages’ stilted buildings is expensive and not well suited to local conditions. Here, we review local constraints
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Alfred Eaton: a Victorian naturalist at the ends of the world Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-12-14 C. Leah Devlin
Alfred Edwin Eaton (1844–1929) was amongst numerous Victorian naturalists whose exotic collections disseminated to the natural history museums of Britain laid the groundwork for our understanding of biodiversity. What sets him apart from his contemporaries was his first-hand knowledge of organisms at the polar extremes. This paper describes Eaton’s contributions to polar biology, especially in the
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Mosbacher J.B. et al. Hair mineral levels as indicator of wild Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-12-12 Jesper Bruun Mosbacher, Jean-Pierre Desforges, Anders Michelsen, Sophia V. Hansson, Mikkel Stelvig, Igor Eulaers, Christian Sonne, Rune Dietz, Bjørn Munro Jenssen, Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski, Syverin Lierhagen, Trond Peder Flaten, Gaël Le Roux, Marie R. Aggerbeck, Niels Martin Schmidt
This Corrigendum relates to the following article: Mosbacher J.B., Desforges J.-P., Michelsen A., Hansson S.V., Stelvig M., Eulaers I., Sonne C., Dietz R., Jenssen B.M., Ciesielski T.M., Lierhagen S., Flaten T.P., Le Roux G., Aggerbeck M.R., & Schmidt N.M. (2022). Hair mineral levels as indicator of wildlife demographics?—a pilot study of muskoxen. Polar Research, 41.https://doi.org/10.33265/polar
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Case studies of the wind field around Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard, using unmanned aircraft Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-15 Martin Schön, Irene Suomi, Barbara Altstädter, Bram van Kesteren, Kjell zum Berge, Andreas Platis, Birgit Wehner, Astrid Lampert, Jens Bange
The wind field in Arctic fjords is strongly influenced by glaciers, local orography and the interaction between sea and land. Ny-Ålesund, an important location for atmospheric research in the Arctic, is located in Kongsfjorden, a fjord with a complex local wind field that influences measurements in Ny-Ålesund. Using wind measurements from UAS (unmanned aircraft systems), ground measurements, radiosonde
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Aggregations of foraging black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) at a sea-ice edge in front of a tidewater glacier Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-09 Øystein Varpe, Geir W. Gabrielsen
Seabirds in cold biomes sometimes aggregate near glacier fronts and at sea-ice edges to forage. In this note, we report on large aggregations of black guillemots (Cepphus grylle) at the edge of sea ice in front of the tidewater glacier Kongsbreen (Kongsfjorden, Svalbard). During several days in the second half of June 2011, we observed 49–155 individuals of black guillemots at this ice edge. They foraged
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Hair mineral levels as indicator of wildlife demographics?—a pilot study of muskoxen Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-09 Jesper Bruun Mosbacher, Jean-Pierre Desforges, Anders Michelsen, Mikkel Stelvig, Igor Eulaers, Christian Sonne, Rune Dietz, Bjørn Munro Jenssen, Tomasz Maciej Ciesielski, Syverin Lierhagen, Trond Peder Flaten, Marie R. Aggerbeck, Niels Martin Schmidt
The tight linkage between mineral status and health and demographics in animals is well documented. Mineral deficiencies have been coupled to population declines in wildlife. Current practices typically rely on liver, kidney and/or serum samples to assess mineral levels. Such destructive sampling strategies are, however, not feasible for remote or endangered populations. Hair may constitute an alternative
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Modelled realistic daily variation in low winter sea-ice concentration over the Barents Sea amplifies Asian cold events Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-11-01 Shengni Duan, Zhina Jiang, Min Wen
The boreal wintertime atmospheric responses, especially cold events over central Asia, to low sea-ice concentration (SIC) with and without realistic daily variation over the Barents Sea are explored with the Community Atmosphere Model version 4.0 (CAM4.0). The results show that the general atmospheric responses to approximately equal winter-mean Arctic sea-ice loss with a similar pattern but with climatological
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Multidisciplinary perspectives on living marine resources in the Arctic Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-10-20 Sturla F. Kvamsdal, Dorothy Dankel, Nils-Arne Ekerhovd, Alf Håkon Hoel, Angelika Renner, Anne Britt Sandø, Stein Ivar Steinshamn
Many areas in the Arctic are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. We observe large-scale effects on physical, biological, economic and social parameters, including ice cover, species distributions, economic activity and regional governance frameworks. Arctic living marine resources are affected in various ways. A holistic understanding of these effects requires a multidisciplinary enterprise
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The polar sciences journal: the past and future of a crucial research instrument Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-09-12 Anna M. Gielas
Journals dedicated to the polar sciences have been outliers. Within both the history of science and the history of media, they stand out in several ways, including their comparatively late establishment of peer-review. It was not until the second half of the 20th century, that polar sciences journals began to carry predominantly peer-reviewed original research rather than synopses of research published
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Remote sensing, snow modelling, survey data and Indigenous Knowledge show how snow and sea-ice conditions affect Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) distribution and inter-island and island–mainland movements Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-09-02 Coralie Gautier, Alexandre Langlois, Vincent Sasseville, Erin Neave, Cheryl Ann Johnson
Accelerated warming of the Arctic has reduced sea ice and has increased the occurrence of winter extreme events like rain-on-snow and storms that impact snow-cover densification, affecting Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) seasonal movements and grazing conditions. We used caribou movements between Banks, Melville and Victoria islands and mainland Canada, documented from Indigenous Knowledge
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Polar Research turns 40 Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-08-10 Helle V. Goldman
Among his varied Resistance activities during the Nazi occupation of Norway, Tore Gjelsvik co-edited an underground newspaper called Bulletinen (The Bulletin). Four of the paper’s previous editors were arrested and the fifth, who handed it off to Gjelsvik, fled to neutral Sweden to avoid capture. Gjelsvik went on to become a geologist and to serve as director of the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI)
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Applying landscape fragmentation analysis to icescape environments: potential impacts for the Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-07-05 Anthony Himmelberger, Karen E. Frey, Florencia Sangermano
Sea-ice cover across the Arctic has declined rapidly over the past several decades owing to amplified climate warming. The Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) relies on sea-ice floes in the St. Lawrence Island (SLI) and Wainwright regions of the Bering and Chukchi seas surrounding Alaska as a platform for rest, feeding and reproduction. Lower concentrations of thick ice floes are generally
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Why are Svalbard Arctic foxes Brucella spp. seronegative? Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-07-06 Ingebjørg H. Nymo, Eva Fuglei, Torill Mørk, Eva M. Breines, Karin Holmgren, Rebecca Davidson, Morten Tryland
Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) are susceptible to smooth Brucella (s-Brucella) infection and may be exposed to such bacteria through the consumption of infected marine mammals, as implied by the finding of s-Brucella antibodies in polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Arctic foxes in Svalbard have not previously been investigated for s-Brucella antibodies, but such antibodies have been detected in Arctic foxes
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Hormone profiles from Cook Inlet, Bristol Bay and aquarium beluga whales Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-06-23 Shannon Atkinson, Kendall L. Mashburn, Daniel Vos, Tracy A. Romano, Barbara Mahoney
Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from Cook Inlet (CI), Alaska, are listed as “endangered” because of dramatic declines in abundance, with no indications of population recovery. Serum samples from this population are exceedingly rare. Longitudinal samples from aquarium (AQ) belugas can potentially provide health assessment reference ranges for free-ranging beluga, including reproductive and metabolic
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Managing cumulative impacts and protected areas in Antarctica: what can we learn from the rest of the world? Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-06-20 Alvaro Soutullo, Ana Laura Machado-Gaye, Eduardo Juri
For more than 20 years Antarctic Treaty Parties have been discussing how to appropriately manage cumulative impacts in the continent. Preventing cumulative impacts requires the fluent exchange of information to enable proper and timely assessment of, and response to, the impacts that result from multiple activities, undertaken by multiple stakeholders and supervised by different Parties. This is a
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Extremely high abundances of Prasiola crispa-associated micrometazoans in East Antarctica Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-06-20 Dzmitry A. Lukashanets, Yury H. Hihiniak, Vladislav Y. Miamin
To elucidate poorly known aspects of the microscopic metazoan distribution in ice-free parts of the Antarctic, we examined samples of the multicellular terrestrial alga Prasiola crispa, collected over the last decade in different parts of continental East Antarctica and Haswell Island. We found that the micrometazoans inhabiting the algae consist of remarkably abundant bdelloid rotifers (subclass Bdelloidea)
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Tusk anomalies in narwhals (Monodon monoceros) from Greenland Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-06-03 Eva Garde, Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen
The elongated, spiraled tusk of male narwhals (Monodon monoceros) grows continuously throughout the life of the whale and is most likely a secondary sexual trait used in male–male hierarchical competition and possibly in female mate choice. Sex determination in narwhals is typically based on the presence (male) or absence (female) of an erupted tusk, but anomalies such as females with tusks, tuskless
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Tintinnid ciliates (marine microzooplankton) of the Ross Sea Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-05-20 John R. Dolan, Wuju Son, Hyoung Sul La , Jisoo Park, Eun Jin Yang
For the Ross Sea, the only Marine Protected Area in Antarctica, available data on the tintinnid ciliates of the marine microzooplankton are mostly limited to nearshore waters near Terra Nova Bay or the vicinity of the McMurdo Sound. Here, we report results from a geographically extensive sampling across the Ross Sea conducted in December 2020. Material from plankton net tows (20 µm mesh), made at 38
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Ichnodiversity in the eastern Canadian Arctic in the context of polar microbioerosion patterns Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-04-29 Neele Meyer, Max Wisshak, Evan N. Edinger, Kumiko Azetsu-Scott, André Freiwald
Studies of marine microbioerosion in polar environments are scarce. They include our recent investigations of bioerosion traces preserved in sessile balanid skeletons from the Arctic Svalbard archipelago and the Antarctic Ross Sea. Here, we present results from a third study site, Frobisher Bay, in the eastern Canadian Arctic, together with a synthesis of our current knowledge of polar bioerosion in
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Five decades of terrestrial and freshwater research at Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-04-19 Å.Ø. Pedersen, P. Convey, K.K. Newsham, J.B. Mosbacher, E. Fuglei, V. Ravolainen, B.B. Hansen, T.C. Jensen, A. Augusti, E.M. Biersma, E.J. Cooper, S.J. Coulson, G.W. Gabrielsen, J.C. Gallet, U. Karsten, S.M. Kristiansen, M.M. Svenning, A.T. Tveit, M. Uchida, I. Baneschi, E. Calizza, N. Cannone, E.M. de Goede, M. Doveri, J. Elster, M.S. Giamberini, K. Hayashi, S.I. Lang, Y.K. Lee, T. Nakatsubo, V. Pasquali
For more than five decades, research has been conducted at Ny-Ålesund, in Svalbard, Norway, to understand the structure and functioning of High-Arctic ecosystems and the profound impacts on them of environmental change. Terrestrial, freshwater, glacial and marine ecosystems are accessible year-round from Ny-Ålesund, providing unique opportunities for interdisciplinary observational and experimental
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Polar bear depredation of a thick-billed murre fledgling in open water at Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-04-12 Martyn E. Obbard, Christopher Di Corrado, João Franco, Roger Pimenta, Boris Wise
Sea-ice distribution and duration are declining across the circumpolar range of the polar bear (Ursus maritimus), resulting in a reduced access to ice-obligate seals, its primary prey. Consequently, polar bears may have increased reliance on alternative food sources in the future. Foraging on land is well documented but foraging in open water is less understood. We report the successful depredation
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Patterns of interdisciplinary collaboration resemble biogeochemical relationships in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica: a historical social network analysis of science, 1907–2016 Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-04-06 Stephen M. Chignell,Adrian Howkins,Poppie Gullett,Andrew G. Fountain
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Value of the Copernicus Arctic Regional Reanalysis (CARRA) in representing near-surface temperature and wind speed in the north-east European Arctic Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-03-31 Morten Køltzow, Harald Schyberg, Eivind Støylen, Xiaohua Yang
The representation of 2-m air temperature and 10-m wind speed in the high-resolution (with a 2.5-km grid spacing) Copernicus Arctic Regional Reanalysis (CARRA) and the coarser resolution (ca. 31-km grid spacing) global European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecasts fifth-generation reanalysis (ERA5) for Svalbard, northern Norway, Sweden and Finland is evaluated against observations. The largest
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China’s engagement in Greenland: mutual economic benefits and political non-interference Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-03-17 Chuan Chen
With China becoming more active in Greenland, worries abound that China might have hidden intentions. Despite that, the Greenlandic government is showing an increasing interest in deepening its cooperation with China. This article explores Greenland’s motivation behind its positive attitude towards China and examines whether China will be a threat to Greenland’s independence. For Greenland, China is
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Foraging behaviour of sympatrically breeding macaroni (Eudyptes chrysolophus) and chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) penguins at Bouvetøya, Southern Ocean Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-03-11 Audun Narvestad, Kit M. Kovacs, Christian Lydersen, Andrew D. Lowther
Species with similar ecological requirements that overlap in range tend to segregate their niches to minimize competition for resources. However, the niche segregation possibilities for centrally foraging predators that breed on isolated Subantarctic islands may be reduced by spatial constraints and limitations in the availability of alternative prey. In this study we examined spatial and trophic aspects
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Cetacean spatial trends from 2005 to 2019 in Svalbard, Norway Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2022-01-25 Kit M. Kovacs, Olof Bengtsson, Christian Lydersen
This study uses cetacean sighting data, acquired via a citizen science programme, to update distributions and spatial trends of whales and dolphins in waters around the Svalbard Archipelago during the period 2005–2019. Distributions, based on kernel density estimates, from an early period (2005–2019) and a recent period (2015–19) were compared to identify potential shifts in distribution in this area
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Distribution and contamination assessment of heavy metals in soils and sediments from the Fildes Peninsula and Ardley Island in King George Island, Antarctica Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-27 Jing Lin, A.B.M. Sadique Rayhan, Yun Wang, Zhai Wu, Yan Lin, Hongwei Ke, Tianyao Li, Kai Chen, Minggang Cai
Concentrations of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr) in surface soils and sediments collected in 2008 from 37 sampling sites in the Fildes Peninsula and Ardley Island were detected by atomic absorption spectrometry. The total contents of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr ranged, respectively, from 61.36 to 562.2 mg/kg, 0.52 to 1.95 mg/kg, 54.61 to 577.9 mg/kg, 0.04 to 3.76 mg/kg and 6.83 to 25.9 mg/kg in soils
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Differential acclimation responses to irradiance and temperature in two co-occurring seaweed species in Arctic fjords Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-21 Johanna Marambio, Kai Bischof
Arctic fjord systems experience large amplitudes of change in temperature and radiation regime due to climate warming and the related decrease in sea ice. The resultant increase in irradiance entering the water column influences photosynthetic activity of benthic and pelagic primary producers. The subtidal brown alga Desmarestia aculeata and the intertidal red alga Palmaria palmata populate the cold-temperate
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The surface energy balance of Austre Lovénbreen, Svalbard, during the ablation period in 2014 Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-13 Xiaowei Zou, Minghu Ding, Weijun Sun, Diyi Yang, Weigang Liu, Baojuan Huai, Shuang Jin, Cunde Xiao
The ability to simulate the surface energy balance is key to studying land–atmosphere interactions; however, it remains a weakness in Arctic polar sciences. Based on the analysis of meteorological data from 1 June to 30 September 2014 from an automatic weather station on the glacier Austre Lovénbreen, near Ny–Ålesund, Svalbard, we established a surface energy balance model to simulate surface melt
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North Atlantic Oscillation seesaw effect in leaf morphological records from dwarf birch shrubs in Greenland and Finland Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-12-13 Fabian E.Z. Ercan, Daan Blok, Stef Weijers, Astrid Odé, Friederike Wagner-Cremer
The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) determines wind speed and direction, seasonal heat, moisture transport, storm tracks, cloudiness and sea-ice cover through atmospheric mass balance shifts between the Arctic and the subtropical Atlantic. The NAO is characterized by the typical, yet insufficiently understood, seesaw pattern of warmer winter and spring temperatures over Scandinavia and cooler temperatures
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Genetic history and stock identity of beluga whales in Kotzebue Sound Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-29 Gregory O’Corry-Crowe,Tatiana Ferrer,John J. Citta,Robert Suydam,Lori Quakenbush,John J. Burns,Jorge Monroy,Alex Whiting,Glenn Seaman,Willie Goodwin, Sr.,Matthias Meyer,Sarah Rodgers,Kathryn J. Frost
We investigate the recent history and stock identity of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Kotzebue Sound in the Chukchi Sea, a region long frequented by large numbers of belugas in summer until their near disappearance in the 1980s. Wide variation in numbers since then suggests a complex recent history that hinders recovery efforts. Analysis of teeth sampled during the historical (pre-decline)
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Stranded beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) calf response and care: reports of two cases with different outcomes Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-29 Caroline E.C. Goertz,Kathy Woodie,Brett Long,Lisa Hartman,Eric Gaglione,Dennis Christen,Tonya Clauss,Jennifer Flower,Allison Tuttle,Carey Richard,Tracy A. Romano,Todd Schmitt,Eric Otjen,Steve Osborn,Steve Aibel,Tim Binder,William Van Bonn,Manuel Castellote,T. Aran Mooney,Sophie Dennison-Gibby,Kathy Burek-Huntington,Teresa K. Rowles
Given the remote, rugged areas belugas typically inhabit and the low rehabilitation success rate with any cetacean, it is rare to have the opportunity to rescue a live-stranded beluga. The Alaska SeaLife Center cared for two stranded beluga calves with two different outcomes. In 2012, a neonatal male beluga calf (DL1202) stranded following intense storms in Bristol Bay. In 2017, a helicopter pilot
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The role of aquaria in beluga research and conservation Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-26 Tracy A. Romano,Laura A. Thompson,Maureen V. Driscoll,Ebru Unal,Allison D. Tuttle,Gayle Sirpenski,Mary Ellen Mateleska,Dale Wolbrink
Aquaria that care for and maintain belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) under professional care have the opportunity to contribute to the conservation of wild belugas through research, expertise in animal care and husbandry, and engaging and educating the public about threats to the species’ health and population sustainability. In an aquarium setting, belugas can be studied under controlled conditions
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Beluga whale stewardship and collaborative research practices among Indigenous peoples in the Arctic Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-19 Kaitlin Breton-Honeyman,Henry P. Huntington,Mark Basterfield,Kiyo Campbell,Jason Dicker,Tom Gray,Alfred E.R. Jakobsen,Frankie Jean-Gagnon,David Lee,Rodd Laing,Lisa Loseto,Paul McCarney,John Noksana Jr,Tommy Palliser,Lawrence Ruben,Clayton Tartak,Joseph Townley,Eduard Zdor
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Alaska Beluga Whale Committee—a unique model of co-management Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-18 Kathryn J. Frost,Tom Gray,Willie Goodwin, Sr,Roswell Schaeffer,Robert Suydam
The Alaska Beluga Whale Committe (ABWC) was formed in 1988 to conserve beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and manage beluga subsistence hunting in western and northern Alaska in cooperation with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). When the ABWC was formed, there was no consistently funded research or management programme for belugas in Alaska, and co-management was a new concept. The ABWC
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The immune response and diving: conservation considerations for belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in a changing Arctic environment Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-12 Laura A. Thompson,Tracy A. Romano
Diving is a critical behaviour of marine mammals, including belugas, which dive to forage and travel under Arctic sea ice. While the limitations of dive behaviour and physiological dive adaptations have been the focus of several studies, cellular adaptations, particularly those of the immune system, have been little considered. However, diving itself presents several challenges that can impact immune
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Diversity and distribution of heterotrophic flagellates in seawater of the Powell Basin, Antarctic Peninsula Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-11-11 Zhiyi Chen, Jianfeng He, Shunan Cao, Zhibo Lu, Musheng Lan, Hongyuan Zheng, Guangfu Luo, Fang Zhang
Heterotrophic flagellates are essential components of the marine microbial food web. However, how the changes in flagellate populations reflect environmental changes in marine ecosystems is still unclear, especially in polar regions. In this study, we used pyrosequencing to examine the community structure of heterotrophic flagellates (HFs) in the Powell Basin’s surface waters of the northern Antarctic
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Wildfires in the Campanian of James Ross Island: a new macro-charcoal record for the Antarctic Peninsula Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-10-20 Flaviana Jorge de Lima, Juliana Manso Sayão, Luiza C. M. de Oliveira Ponciano, Luiz C. Weinschütz, Rodrigo G. Figueiredo, Taissa Marques Rodrigues, Renan Alfredo Machado Bantim, Antonio Álamo Feitosa Saraiva, André Jasper, Dieter Uhl, Alexander W.A. Kellner
The Cretaceous “high-fire” period was a global event that reached almost all continental masses during that period in Earth’s history. The extensive wildfires directly affected plant communities. Significant palaeobotanical records in the Antarctic Peninsula have been studied from the James Ross Sub-Basin, especially from the Santa Marta Formation. However, there is no described evidence for palaeo-wildfires
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Polar Research Special Cluster—Beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas): knowledge from the wild, human care and TEK Polar Res. (IF 1.9) Pub Date : 2021-10-15 Kit M. Kovacs,Tracy A. Romano,Randall R. Reeves,Roderick C. Hobbs,Geneviève Desportes,Ree Brennan,Manuel Castellote
(page number not for citation purpose) Polar Research 2021. © 2021 K.M. Kovacs et al. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), permitting all non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Citation: