Climate change impacts on sea-ice ecosystems and associated ecosystem services
Type | Article | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Date | 2021-10 | ||||||||||||
Language | English | ||||||||||||
Author(s) | Steiner Nadja S.1, 2, 3, Bowman Jeff4, Campbell Karley5, 6, Chierici Melissa7, Eronen-Rasimus Eeva8, 9, Falardeau Marianne10, 11, 12, 13, Flores Hauke14, Fransson Agneta15, Herr Helena14, 16, Insley Stephen J17, 18, Kauko Hanna M.15, Lannuzel Delphine19, Loseto Lisa20, 21, Lynnes Amanda22, Majewski Andy20, Meiners Klaus M.23, 24, Miller Lisa A.1, Michel Loic25, Moreau Sebastien15, Nacke Melissa26, Nomura Daiki27, Tedesco Letizia9, Van Franeker Jan Andries28, Van Leeuwe Maria A29, Wongpan Pat24 | ||||||||||||
Affiliation(s) | 1 : Institute of Ocean Sciences, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Sidney, BC, Canada 2 : Canadian Center for Climate Modelling and Analysis, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canada, Victoria, BC, Canada 3 : School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada 4 : Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA 5 : UiT, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway 6 : Bristol Glaciology Centre, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK 7 : Institute of Marine Research, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway 8 : Department of Microbiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 9 : Finnish Environment Institute, Marine Research Centre, Helsinki, Finland 10 : Institute of Integrative Biology and Systems, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada 11 : Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada 12 : Department of Biology, Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada 13 : Research Center of the CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec, QC, Canada 14 : Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, Bremerhaven, Germany 15 : Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway 16 : Center of Natural History (CeNak), Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany 17 : Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada 18 : Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada 19 : Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia 20 : Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB, Canada 21 : Centre for Earth Observation Science, Department of Environment and Geography, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada 22 : International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), South Kingstown, RI, USA 23 : Australian Antarctic Division, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia 24 : Australian Antarctic Program Partnership, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia 25 : Ifremer, Centre de Bretagne, REM/EEP, Laboratoire Environnement Profond, Plouzané, France 26 : Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, Tromsø, Norway 27 : Hokkaido University, Hakodate and Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan 28 : WUR, Wageningen Marine Research, Den Helder, the Netherlands 29 : Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands |
||||||||||||
Source | Elementa-science Of The Anthropocene (2325-1026) (University of California Press), 2021-10 , Vol. 9 , N. 1 , P. 00007 (55p.) | ||||||||||||
DOI | 10.1525/elementa.2021.00007 | ||||||||||||
WOS© Times Cited | 27 | ||||||||||||
Keyword(s) | Sea-ice ecosystems, Ecosystem services, EBSA, Polar regions, Climate change, Marine Protected Area (MPA) | ||||||||||||
Abstract | A rigorous synthesis of the sea-ice ecosystem and linked ecosystem services highlights that the sea-ice ecosystem supports all 4 ecosystem service categories, that sea-ice ecosystems meet the criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas, that global emissions driving climate change are directly linked to the demise of sea-ice ecosystems and its ecosystem services, and that the sea-ice ecosystem deserves specific attention in the evaluation of marine protected area planning. The synthesis outlines (1) supporting services, provided in form of habitat, including feeding grounds and nurseries for microbes, meiofauna, fish, birds and mammals (particularly the key species Arctic cod, Boreogadus saida, and Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba, which are tightly linked to the sea-ice ecosystem and transfer carbon from sea-ice primary producers to higher trophic level fish, mammal species and humans); (2) provisioning services through harvesting and medicinal and genetic resources; (3) cultural services through Indigenous and local knowledge systems, cultural identity and spirituality, and via cultural activities, tourism and research; (4) (climate) regulating services through light regulation, the production of biogenic aerosols, halogen oxidation and the release or uptake of greenhouse gases, for example, carbon dioxide. The ongoing changes in the polar regions have strong impacts on sea-ice ecosystems and associated ecosystem services. While the response of sea-ice–associated primary production to environmental change is regionally variable, the effect on ice-associated mammals and birds is predominantly negative, subsequently impacting human harvesting and cultural services in both polar regions. Conservation can help protect some species and functions. However, the key mitigation measure that can slow the transition to a strictly seasonal ice cover in the Arctic Ocean, reduce the overall loss of sea-ice habitats from the ocean, and thus preserve the unique ecosystem services provided by sea ice and their contributions to human well-being is a reduction in carbon emissions. |
||||||||||||
Full Text |
|