Pub Date : 2024-09-12DOI: 10.33265/polar.v43.10291
Winfried Kurt Dallmann, Karsten Piepjohn
Svalbard has long been thought to represent the easternmost realm of the Ellesmerian Orogeny in the late Devonian or early Mississippian (Svalbardian tectonic event). Several authors do not agree and present alternative interpretations of the observed structures in older and more recent articles. This article discusses a number of issues that, in our opinion, are not sufficiently considered in those works, but which are essential for the understanding of the Svalbardian tectonic event: (1) the possibility of re-deposited palynomorphs in the discussion of the deformational ages, (2) the age and structural setting of the crucial Adriabukta Formation in southern Spitsbergen, and (3) the presence and nature of the Svalbardian angular unconformity in central and southern Spitsbergen.
{"title":"Some issues related to the Svalbardian tectonic event (Ellesmerian Orogeny) in Svalbard","authors":"Winfried Kurt Dallmann, Karsten Piepjohn","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.10291","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.10291","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Svalbard has long been thought to represent the easternmost realm of the Ellesmerian Orogeny in the late Devonian or early Mississippian (Svalbardian tectonic event). Several authors do not agree and present alternative interpretations of the observed structures in older and more recent articles. This article discusses a number of issues that, in our opinion, are not sufficiently considered in those works, but which are essential for the understanding of the Svalbardian tectonic event: (1) the possibility of re-deposited palynomorphs in the discussion of the deformational ages, (2) the age and structural setting of the crucial Adriabukta Formation in southern Spitsbergen, and (3) the presence and nature of the Svalbardian angular unconformity in central and southern Spitsbergen.</p>","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142183102","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mingzhen Zhang, Matti Leppäranta, A. Korhola, Nina Kirchner, A. Granebeck, Frederik Schenk, K. Weckström, Maija Heikkilä, J. Weckström
The Arctic region is covered with numerous small lakes whose ecosystems are vulnerable to current climate warming and resultant changes in water temperature, ice-cover duration and lake levels. Data on thermal features of these lakes are sparse, which hinders our understanding of the possible ecosystem impacts of the warming climate and climate feedbacks at larger spatial scales. We investigated spatial–temporal variations of lake surface water temperatures (LSWT) in 12 Arctic lakes in north-west Finnish Lapland and explored the predominant drivers of LSWTs by continuous year-round observations. The lake surface temperature data were recorded using thermistors at bi-hourly resolution during the years 2000, 2007–08 and 2019–2021. A large regional heterogeneity was observed in the timing of the maximum and minimum LSWTs and the overall patterns of the annual cycle. Our results reveal that July air temperature, maximum lake depth and altitude explained most of the variance in the summer LSWT (> 85%). The remaining variance was related to geographic location (longitude and latitude), lake morphometric features, such as lake area and catchment area, and certain physico-chemical characteristics, such as Secchi depth and dissolved organic carbon content. Our results provide new insights into thermal responses of different types of small Arctic lakes to climate change.
{"title":"Drivers of spatio-temporal variations in summer surface water temperatures of Arctic Fennoscandian lakes (2000–21)","authors":"Mingzhen Zhang, Matti Leppäranta, A. Korhola, Nina Kirchner, A. Granebeck, Frederik Schenk, K. Weckström, Maija Heikkilä, J. Weckström","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.9580","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9580","url":null,"abstract":"The Arctic region is covered with numerous small lakes whose ecosystems are vulnerable to current climate warming and resultant changes in water temperature, ice-cover duration and lake levels. Data on thermal features of these lakes are sparse, which hinders our understanding of the possible ecosystem impacts of the warming climate and climate feedbacks at larger spatial scales. We investigated spatial–temporal variations of lake surface water temperatures (LSWT) in 12 Arctic lakes in north-west Finnish Lapland and explored the predominant drivers of LSWTs by continuous year-round observations. The lake surface temperature data were recorded using thermistors at bi-hourly resolution during the years 2000, 2007–08 and 2019–2021. A large regional heterogeneity was observed in the timing of the maximum and minimum LSWTs and the overall patterns of the annual cycle. Our results reveal that July air temperature, maximum lake depth and altitude explained most of the variance in the summer LSWT (> 85%). The remaining variance was related to geographic location (longitude and latitude), lake morphometric features, such as lake area and catchment area, and certain physico-chemical characteristics, such as Secchi depth and dissolved organic carbon content. Our results provide new insights into thermal responses of different types of small Arctic lakes to climate change.","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141926246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Accompanying global warming, Antarctic sea-ice extent shows a somewhat increasing trend from 1979 to 2014, followed by an abrupt decrease after 2016. Our previous study examined the change of Antarctic sea-ice extent in austral summer, autumn and spring. In this study, we turn our attention to the austral winter, relating the main modes of sea-ice variability to sea-ice extent in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean. We find that the modes with the strongest correlation with the sea-ice extent are the third, first and first modes in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian sectors, respectively. Atmospheric circulation anomalies of zonal wavenumber three over the Southern Ocean, related to planetary wave trains induced by the SST anomalies over the south-western Pacific and the southern Indian oceans, can explain sea-ice concentration anomalies of the third mode in the Pacific sector through thermodynamic and dynamic processes. Sea-ice anomalies of the first modes in the Atlantic and Indian sectors result from atmospheric circulation anomalies of a positive and negative phases of the Southern Annular Mode, respectively. The anomalous Southern Annular Mode is also associated with wave trains over the Southern Ocean excited by SST anomalies over the southern Indian Ocean and the south-western Pacific Ocean. The relationship between SST anomalies and Antarctic sea-ice anomalies can provide a reference for the prediction of Antarctic sea-ice anomalies in austral winter on interannual and decadal timescales.
{"title":"The relationship between Antarctic sea-ice extent change and the main modes of sea-ice variability in austral winter","authors":"Lejiang Yu, Cuijuan Sui, Haixia Dai","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.9080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9080","url":null,"abstract":"Accompanying global warming, Antarctic sea-ice extent shows a somewhat increasing trend from 1979 to 2014, followed by an abrupt decrease after 2016. Our previous study examined the change of Antarctic sea-ice extent in austral summer, autumn and spring. In this study, we turn our attention to the austral winter, relating the main modes of sea-ice variability to sea-ice extent in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian sectors of the Southern Ocean. We find that the modes with the strongest correlation with the sea-ice extent are the third, first and first modes in the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian sectors, respectively. Atmospheric circulation anomalies of zonal wavenumber three over the Southern Ocean, related to planetary wave trains induced by the SST anomalies over the south-western Pacific and the southern Indian oceans, can explain sea-ice concentration anomalies of the third mode in the Pacific sector through thermodynamic and dynamic processes. Sea-ice anomalies of the first modes in the Atlantic and Indian sectors result from atmospheric circulation anomalies of a positive and negative phases of the Southern Annular Mode, respectively. The anomalous Southern Annular Mode is also associated with wave trains over the Southern Ocean excited by SST anomalies over the southern Indian Ocean and the south-western Pacific Ocean. The relationship between SST anomalies and Antarctic sea-ice anomalies can provide a reference for the prediction of Antarctic sea-ice anomalies in austral winter on interannual and decadal timescales.","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141817784","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kayla J. Buhler, Helen Schwantje, N. Jane Harms , Heather Fenton , Xavier Fernandez Aguilar, Susan Kutz, Lisa-Marie Leclerc, John Blake , Emily Jenkins
The range of tularemia, a disease caused by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, may expand alongside climate change in the North. Transmission occurs via biting arthropods, contaminated water sources, infected animal tissues and fluids and even aerosolized bacteria. Little research has been published on F. tularensis in northern Canada. We investigated whether Rangifer (caribou and reindeer) in Canada and Alaska are exposed to F. tularensis, as they provide significant cultural and subsistence value. From 2016 to 2020, 336 serum samples were collected from Rangifer across 17 herds, including captive reindeer in Alaska (n = 30) and wild caribou across Canada (n = 306) during collaring or harvesting efforts. Using a microagglutination test, we detected antibodies against F. tularensis in 7% of captive reindeer (CI95 2–21), 6% of migratory tundra caribou (CI95 4–11) and 10% of mountain woodland caribou (CI95 6–17), with the highest seroprevalence observed in animals from Nunavut (17%) and British Columbia, Canada (18%). Ten of the herds (n = 10/17; 59%) had at least one positive animal. Evidence of exposure to F. tularensis indicates that further studies are needed to characterize sources of transmission for Rangifer species and any potential health effects following infection.
{"title":"Widespread exposure to Francisella tularensis in Rangifer tarandus in Canada and Alaska","authors":"Kayla J. Buhler, Helen Schwantje, N. Jane Harms , Heather Fenton , Xavier Fernandez Aguilar, Susan Kutz, Lisa-Marie Leclerc, John Blake , Emily Jenkins","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.9288","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9288","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The range of tularemia, a disease caused by the bacterium <em>Francisella tularensis,</em> may expand alongside climate change in the North. Transmission occurs via biting arthropods, contaminated water sources, infected animal tissues and fluids and even aerosolized bacteria. Little research has been published on <em>F. tularensis</em> in northern Canada. We investigated whether <em>Rangifer</em> (caribou and reindeer) in Canada and Alaska are exposed to <em>F. tularensis</em>, as they provide significant cultural and subsistence value. From 2016 to 2020, 336 serum samples were collected from <em>Rangifer</em> across 17 herds, including captive reindeer in Alaska (<em>n</em> = 30) and wild caribou across Canada (<em>n</em> = 306) during collaring or harvesting efforts. Using a microagglutination test, we detected antibodies against <em>F. tularensis</em> in 7% of captive reindeer (CI<sub>95</sub> 2–21), 6% of migratory tundra caribou (CI<sub>95</sub> 4–11) and 10% of mountain woodland caribou (CI<sub>95</sub> 6–17), with the highest seroprevalence observed in animals from Nunavut (17%) and British Columbia, Canada (18%). Ten of the herds (<em>n</em> = 10/17; 59%) had at least one positive animal. Evidence of exposure to <em>F. tularensis</em> indicates that further studies are needed to characterize sources of transmission for <em>Rangifer</em> species and any potential health effects following infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141737362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) weakening is linked to surface circulation changes. This study employs statistical analysis using reanalysis data to compare the anomalous SPV behaviour in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) hemispheres and its downward impacts on surface climate. The onset of annual SPV weakening occurs in mid-January and late September in the NH and SH hemispheres, respectively. Following the onset of SPV weakening, stratospheric polar cap height (PCH) anomalies were strongly correlated with tropospheric PCH anomalies. Significant cold anomalies were observed over Eurasia within 30 days after SPV weakening onset in the NH, whereas warming responses occurred in the SH 30–60 days after onset over Antarctica, except in the Antarctic Peninsula. These contrasting surface temperature responses to SPV weakening events in both hemispheres are the results of changes in the geopotential height in the troposphere, reminiscent of the change in geopotential height in the lower stratosphere, with a trough over Eurasia in the NH, and a higher height anomaly over East Antarctica in the SH. SPV changes have played a role in modulating surface climate via a downward influence on tropospheric circulation in recent decades. Even though they show a weakening trend in both hemispheres, SPV changes cannot fully explain long-term temperature trends. This is partially because SPV trends observed during the analysis period are relatively weak. This study enhances our understanding of the characteristics of the SPV coupled with troposphere circulation and can contribute to improved surface weather forecasting.
{"title":"Polar vortex weakening and its impact on surface temperature in recent decades","authors":"Seong-Joong Kim, Hyesun Choi","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.9723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9723","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The stratospheric polar vortex (SPV) weakening is linked to surface circulation changes. This study employs statistical analysis using reanalysis data to compare the anomalous SPV behaviour in the Northern (NH) and Southern (SH) hemispheres and its downward impacts on surface climate. The onset of annual SPV weakening occurs in mid-January and late September in the NH and SH hemispheres, respectively. Following the onset of SPV weakening, stratospheric polar cap height (PCH) anomalies were strongly correlated with tropospheric PCH anomalies. Significant cold anomalies were observed over Eurasia within 30 days after SPV weakening onset in the NH, whereas warming responses occurred in the SH 30–60 days after onset over Antarctica, except in the Antarctic Peninsula. These contrasting surface temperature responses to SPV weakening events in both hemispheres are the results of changes in the geopotential height in the troposphere, reminiscent of the change in geopotential height in the lower stratosphere, with a trough over Eurasia in the NH, and a higher height anomaly over East Antarctica in the SH. SPV changes have played a role in modulating surface climate via a downward influence on tropospheric circulation in recent decades. Even though they show a weakening trend in both hemispheres, SPV changes cannot fully explain long-term temperature trends. This is partially because SPV trends observed during the analysis period are relatively weak. This study enhances our understanding of the characteristics of the SPV coupled with troposphere circulation and can contribute to improved surface weather forecasting.</p>","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-07-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141549595","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices—by which companies contribute positively to society through their voluntary actions and initiatives—have advanced slowly in Russia. In Russia, the separation between the state and business is not clear, as is the difference between state-owned companies and nominally ‘private’—but still state-controlled—companies, and this has shaped CSR. CSR as practiced in Russia is state-initiated to an extent greater than that in many other countries. The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO), in the Russian Arctic, has a significant population of indigenous people whose way of life has traditionally been based on reindeer herding, fishing and other subsistence activities that are threatened by the ecological damage caused by the hydrocarbon extraction that is carried out in the region by large state-owned or state-controlled corporations such as the parastatal corporation Gazprom. CSR has the potential to ameliorate some of the problems faced by residents of the YNAO, including difficulties relating to transportation, the supply of goods, health care and environmental protection. To achieve this, the CSR roles of the different parties involved need to be better defined and the CSR actions should shift emphasis from modernizing the larger settlements of the YNAO to improving the lives of people who maintain a more traditional way of life on the tundra. Drawing on interviews, government and company documents, and Russian and non-Russian scholarly papers, this Perspective piece considers some aspects of CSR in the YNAO and points to topics of future research.
{"title":"Some considerations regarding corporate social responsibility in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia","authors":"Onur Limon, Hasibe Tugce Tasik","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.8723","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.8723","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices—by which companies contribute positively to society through their voluntary actions and initiatives—have advanced slowly in Russia. In Russia, the separation between the state and business is not clear, as is the difference between state-owned companies and nominally ‘private’—but still state-controlled—companies, and this has shaped CSR. CSR as practiced in Russia is state-initiated to an extent greater than that in many other countries. The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (YNAO), in the Russian Arctic, has a significant population of indigenous people whose way of life has traditionally been based on reindeer herding, fishing and other subsistence activities that are threatened by the ecological damage caused by the hydrocarbon extraction that is carried out in the region by large state-owned or state-controlled corporations such as the parastatal corporation Gazprom. CSR has the potential to ameliorate some of the problems faced by residents of the YNAO, including difficulties relating to transportation, the supply of goods, health care and environmental protection. To achieve this, the CSR roles of the different parties involved need to be better defined and the CSR actions should shift emphasis from modernizing the larger settlements of the YNAO to improving the lives of people who maintain a more traditional way of life on the tundra. Drawing on interviews, government and company documents, and Russian and non-Russian scholarly papers, this Perspective piece considers some aspects of CSR in the YNAO and points to topics of future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141169939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-06DOI: 10.33265/polar.v43.10370
Christina A. Pedersen, Birgit Njåstad, Wenche Aas, Elin Darelius, Sébastien Descamps, Stig Flått, Tore Hattermann, Stephen R. Hudson, Wojciech J. Miloch, Simen Rykkje, Johannes Schweitzer, Rune Storvold, Stein Tronstad
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play vital roles in the Earth system, exerting significant influence on global atmospheric, cryospheric, and oceanic processes. Understanding the ongoing changes in Antarctica and their broader impact on global dynamics is imperative. Achieving this understanding necessitates dedicated and coordinated observations of environmental parameters in the region.
The Troll Observing Network (TONe) is Norway's proactive initiative to the call for sustained, coordinated, complementary, geographically spread, and societally relevant long-term observations from Antarctica. Centered around the Troll Research Station in Dronning Maud Land, a region characterized by limited data availability, TONe constitutes a comprehensive state-of-the-art observatory network, specifically designed for environmental observations for studying and monitoring of the atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine environments. TONe aims to facilitate broad and open access to observational data and shared services to the international research communities as a foundation for acquiring knowledge of societal significance.
TONe will, however, be a limited contribution the broader international data gathering effort required to underpin a strengthened understanding of Antarctica in the Earth system. TONE is an important initiative focused on a data sparse region of Antarctica, but has only substantial added value when seen in the context of similar ongoing and future efforts around the continent.
{"title":"The Troll Observing Network (TONe): A contribution to improving observations in the data-sparse region of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica","authors":"Christina A. Pedersen, Birgit Njåstad, Wenche Aas, Elin Darelius, Sébastien Descamps, Stig Flått, Tore Hattermann, Stephen R. Hudson, Wojciech J. Miloch, Simen Rykkje, Johannes Schweitzer, Rune Storvold, Stein Tronstad","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.10370","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.10370","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Antarctica and the Southern Ocean play vital roles in the Earth system, exerting significant influence on global atmospheric, cryospheric, and oceanic processes. Understanding the ongoing changes in Antarctica and their broader impact on global dynamics is imperative. Achieving this understanding necessitates dedicated and coordinated observations of environmental parameters in the region.</p> <p>The Troll Observing Network (TONe) is Norway's proactive initiative to the call for sustained, coordinated, complementary, geographically spread, and societally relevant long-term observations from Antarctica. Centered around the Troll Research Station in Dronning Maud Land, a region characterized by limited data availability, TONe constitutes a comprehensive state-of-the-art observatory network, specifically designed for environmental observations for studying and monitoring of the atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine environments. TONe aims to facilitate broad and open access to observational data and shared services to the international research communities as a foundation for acquiring knowledge of societal significance.</p> <p>TONe will, however, be a limited contribution the broader international data gathering effort required to underpin a strengthened understanding of Antarctica in the Earth system. TONE is an important initiative focused on a data sparse region of Antarctica, but has only substantial added value when seen in the context of similar ongoing and future efforts around the continent.</p>","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140884084","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Natural ecosystems are under stress due to climate change and impacts are especially prominent at high latitudes. Manifestations of these changes include northward shifts in the distribution of birds, phenological mismatches, improved survival of parasites in the environment and the arrival of new parasite vectors and intermediate hosts. We collected baseline data on parasite infections in the Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea), which is endemic to two High Arctic archipelagos, by sampling 10 birds caught in September–October 2015 in Van Mijenfjorden, Spitsbergen. Five species were found, three endo- and two ectoparasites. The endoparasites included a nematode, Heterakis sp. (prevalence 10%), and two species of Eimeria, all with direct life cycles. The Eimeria species are provisionally called Eimeria sp. A and sp. B (prevalence 50% and 20%; mean intensity 1560 and 1850 oocysts per g faeces, respectively). Both show morphological similarities with known rock ptarmigan eimeriids, but further taxonomic research is needed to describe their phylogenetic relationships. The two ectoparasites, the ischnoceran chewing lice Goniodes lagopi and Lagopoecus affinis, both showed 90% prevalence and a mean intensity of 18.3 and 5.6, respectively. The eimeriids are host specific, and the chewing lice are common parasites of closely related grouse species. On the basis of our knowledge of rock ptarmigan parasites, Heterakis sp. is considered a generalist parasite. The parasite fauna of the Svalbard rock ptarmigan is impoverished compared with conspecific populations in other Arctic locations, such as Iceland and Greenland.
{"title":"Svalbard rock ptarmigan: a first glimpse into parasite infections","authors":"Ó. Nielsen, E. Fuglei, Å. Pedersen, K. Skírnisson","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.9506","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9506","url":null,"abstract":"Natural ecosystems are under stress due to climate change and impacts are especially prominent at high latitudes. Manifestations of these changes include northward shifts in the distribution of birds, phenological mismatches, improved survival of parasites in the environment and the arrival of new parasite vectors and intermediate hosts. We collected baseline data on parasite infections in the Svalbard rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta hyperborea), which is endemic to two High Arctic archipelagos, by sampling 10 birds caught in September–October 2015 in Van Mijenfjorden, Spitsbergen. Five species were found, three endo- and two ectoparasites. The endoparasites included a nematode, Heterakis sp. (prevalence 10%), and two species of Eimeria, all with direct life cycles. The Eimeria species are provisionally called Eimeria sp. A and sp. B (prevalence 50% and 20%; mean intensity 1560 and 1850 oocysts per g faeces, respectively). Both show morphological similarities with known rock ptarmigan eimeriids, but further taxonomic research is needed to describe their phylogenetic relationships. The two ectoparasites, the ischnoceran chewing lice Goniodes lagopi and Lagopoecus affinis, both showed 90% prevalence and a mean intensity of 18.3 and 5.6, respectively. The eimeriids are host specific, and the chewing lice are common parasites of closely related grouse species. On the basis of our knowledge of rock ptarmigan parasites, Heterakis sp. is considered a generalist parasite. The parasite fauna of the Svalbard rock ptarmigan is impoverished compared with conspecific populations in other Arctic locations, such as Iceland and Greenland.","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140671938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
A cross-valley beach terrace in Iladalen, in the south-east of the island of Barentsøya, Svalbard, is interpreted as having been built by long-shore sediment transport and deposition, with its maximum height at about 88 m a.s.l., marking the marine limit at deglaciation. A whale vertebra—most probably from a bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus)—was found embedded in the upper part of the littoral sediments at a height of ca. 80 m a.s.l., that is, about 8 m below the marine limit at deglaciation The bone is dated to 10 762 ± 137 cal yr BP, just a few hundred years after the generally accepted deglaciation of the coastal parts of Barentsøya, about 11 000 years ago. The vertebra’s age and altitudinal position fit well with the relative sea-level curve constructed for the north-eastern tip of the island of Edgeøya, some 29 km east–south-east of Iladalen.
{"title":"A bowhead whale vertebra embedded in marine limit beach sediment on Barentsøya, Svalbard","authors":"Per Möller","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.9724","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9724","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A cross-valley beach terrace in Iladalen, in the south-east of the island of Barentsøya, Svalbard, is interpreted as having been built by long-shore sediment transport and deposition, with its maximum height at about 88 m a.s.l., marking the marine limit at deglaciation. A whale vertebra—most probably from a bowhead whale (<em>Balaena mysticetus</em>)—was found embedded in the upper part of the littoral sediments at a height of ca. 80 m a.s.l., that is, about 8 m below the marine limit at deglaciation The bone is dated to 10 762 ± 137 cal yr BP, just a few hundred years after the generally accepted deglaciation of the coastal parts of Barentsøya, about 11 000 years ago. The vertebra’s age and altitudinal position fit well with the relative sea-level curve constructed for the north-eastern tip of the island of Edgeøya, some 29 km east–south-east of Iladalen.</p>","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140628549","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mai Britt E. Mørk, Atle Mørk, Sondre K. Johansen, Kristian Drivenes, Bjørn A. Lundschien
Upper Triassic (Carnian) sandstones of the De Geerdalen Formation cored south of the island of Kvitøya (80°N), north-easternmost Svalbard, are described in terms of sedimentary facies and petrography and compared regionally in the northern Barents Shelf. The succession off Kvitøya is characterized by its great thickness and is dominated by deltaic deposits with high sand content of lithic–feldspathic compositions. Comparison of sediment facies and sandstone compositions with adjacent areas suggest that the succession off Kvitøya is part of a larger delta system with its main sediment source from the east. The delta sedimentation was terminated by marine transgression in the earliest Norian. The sandstone compositions off Kvitøya differ from nearby locations by the higher content of cherty rock fragments and reworked volcanic debris in the Kvitøya sandstone, which is most distinct in the lower part of the succession. Provenance signatures are investigated by mineral–chemical analysis of detrital feldspars, rock fragments, garnet and Cr-spinel, characterizing a wide variety of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary terranes, including palaeo-Urals and areas farther to east. Additional, more proximal sediment source areas may also have existed that could explain the increased sediment thickness and the mineralogical immature sandstone compositions of the Carnian sediments off Kvitøya.
在斯瓦尔巴群岛最东北部的克维特岛(北纬 80°)以南钻取的 De Geerdalen 地层上三叠世(卡尼安纪)砂岩,从沉积相和岩相学的角度进行了描述,并与巴伦支海大陆架北部地区进行了比较。克维托亚附近海域的沉积厚度很大,主要是含沙量较高的石质-长石质三角洲沉积。与邻近地区的沉积面和砂岩成分比较表明,克维特岛附近的演替是一个较大三角洲系统的一部分,其主要沉积源来自东部。三角洲沉积在北纪初因海洋断陷而终止。克维特岛附近海域的砂岩成分与附近海域不同,克维特岛砂岩中含有较多的樱桃核岩石碎片和再加工火山碎屑,这在岩层下部最为明显。通过对碎裂长石、岩石碎片、石榴石和钙榍石的矿物化学分析,研究了各种火成岩、变质岩和沉积岩的产地特征,包括古乌拉尔山和更东边的地区。可能还存在其他更近的沉积物源区,这也可以解释为什么克维托亚附近的卡尼安沉积物厚度增加,矿物成分不成熟。
{"title":"Sedimentary facies and mineral provenance of Upper Triassic sandstones offshore Kvitøya, Svalbard: implications for palaeogeographic interpretations in the northern Barents Shelf area","authors":"Mai Britt E. Mørk, Atle Mørk, Sondre K. Johansen, Kristian Drivenes, Bjørn A. Lundschien","doi":"10.33265/polar.v43.9715","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v43.9715","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Upper Triassic (Carnian) sandstones of the De Geerdalen Formation cored south of the island of Kvitøya (80°N), north-easternmost Svalbard, are described in terms of sedimentary facies and petrography and compared regionally in the northern Barents Shelf. The succession off Kvitøya is characterized by its great thickness and is dominated by deltaic deposits with high sand content of lithic–feldspathic compositions. Comparison of sediment facies and sandstone compositions with adjacent areas suggest that the succession off Kvitøya is part of a larger delta system with its main sediment source from the east. The delta sedimentation was terminated by marine transgression in the earliest Norian. The sandstone compositions off Kvitøya differ from nearby locations by the higher content of cherty rock fragments and reworked volcanic debris in the Kvitøya sandstone, which is most distinct in the lower part of the succession. Provenance signatures are investigated by mineral–chemical analysis of detrital feldspars, rock fragments, garnet and Cr-spinel, characterizing a wide variety of igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary terranes, including palaeo-Urals and areas farther to east. Additional, more proximal sediment source areas may also have existed that could explain the increased sediment thickness and the mineralogical immature sandstone compositions of the Carnian sediments off Kvitøya.</p>","PeriodicalId":49684,"journal":{"name":"Polar Research","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140613970","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}