High Impact Publications Program
Through its High Impact Publications program, ArcticNet is funding research teams to write high-impact science papers for high-profile journals such as, but not limited to, Nature and Science, and The Lancet. This funding aims to make use of the diverse sets of data and knowledge generated throughout ArcticNet’s rich history. Learn more about the funded research projects below.
Project leader: Mathieu Ardyna, Université Laval/CNRS
Climate change is altering the Arctic atmosphere, cryosphere, and ocean and is having a significant impact on marine primary production. Satellite observations of phytoplankton primary production over the past 20 years show a steady increase due to increased light availability and nutrient input to Arctic surface waters. Although there is consensus that climate change is having profound impacts on the Arctic marine ecosystem, controversy still exists regarding the future of Arctic primary production: will it continue to increase as the sea ice melts further, or will nutrient availability limit further production?
Project leader: Luke Copland, University of Ottawa
This project will use the rich datasets collected by ArcticNet projects and others over the past 20+ years to publish papers and data products focused on: iceberg discharge for the entire northern hemisphere, separated into components due to terminus retreat and steady state ice flow; iceberg risks for shipping in Canadian northern waters; and Glacier ice thickness across the Canadian Arctic.
Project leader: Maxime Geoffroy Memorial University
Arctic and subarctic Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas usually comprise strong pelagic-benthic coupling. Currents, nutrient recycling, primary production, as well as excretion from zooplankton and fish occurring in the water column (pelagic) all contribute to carbon export at depth which, in turn, is exploited by animals living on the seafloor (benthic). On Arctic and subarctic shelves, this export is limited by shallow depths, but is greater in deeper areas with warmer nutrient-rich waters. Hence, the advection of deep ocean water in the numerous glacial troughs crossing the continental shelves likely provides favourable habitats for pelagic and benthic organisms.
Project leader: Catherine Girard, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
The “Last Ice Area” (LIA) is a region of the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic, and the LIA and its surrounding habitats (glaciers, ice-capped lakes, permafrost) are a refuge for unique microbial ice-dependent species. This area’s habitats and the microbes they harbor are heavily impacted by warming and increasingly threatened by climate change. It is therefore urgent to better understand these microbial communities and how they underpin ecosystem function in the North.
Project leader: Sherilee Harper, University of Alberta
Climate change has widespread and sweeping impacts in the Arctic, that have important implications for Inuit culture, livelihoods, identity, and health and wellness. Past research documents clear links between past climate change and Inuit mental health and physical health impacts; however, less is known about how these risks will change in the future. Our project responds to the documented absence of climate-health projection research for the Arctic, and the lack of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the authorship of high-impact climate change research.
Project leader: Casey Hubert, University of Calgary
The Arctic Ocean is warming at twice the rate of other marine ecosystems. Marine microbiomes drive primary productivity and sustain Arctic food webs, are an important indicator of ecosystem health and function, and provide early indications of environmental change. Two high-impact papers on the pan-Canadian Arctic marine microbiome, and its response to climate change and oil spills, are planned.
Project leader: Zou Zou Kuzyk, University of Manitoba
Cree and Inuit, in low Arctic areas like Hudson Bay and James Bay, describe how noticeable climate change “started” in the late 1990s. Communities experienced unusual ice conditions, witnessed arrival of new species, and noted changes in the diets of seals and other wildlife, while Cree in east James Bay saw abrupt and drastic declines in eelgrass. Scientists documented numerous ecological changes over the same period including slower growth of seabird chicks, changes in fish communities, and poor body condition in ringed seals and polar bears.
Project leader: Patrick Leighton, Université de Montréal
Climate change is warming the Arctic at double (in some places, triple) the global rate, and the effects of climate change are already obvious, like coastal erosion and heat domes. But some changes are subtle, like a shift in the migratory route of wildlife that increases their exposure to parasites, or an increase in the activity and abundance of a mosquito. These subtle changes can have profound effects on food security and transmission of zoonotic diseases.
Project leader: Milla Rautio, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
The Arctic is warming faster than any other biome on Earth. Increasing temperatures, more snow and wetter summers, and greening catchments are changing circumpolar lakes from cold, low productivity, clear-water environments to warm, productive, turbid ecosystems. The change is happening at an accelerated pace, making lakes sensitive indicators (sentinels) that are vulnerable to climate impacts, with important consequences for cultural and economic ecosystem services of northern peoples.
Project leader: Jackie Dawson, University of Ottawa
Understanding the risks of climate change to different ecological and social sectors is one of the most important tasks of the IPCC Assessment reports, as well as one of the most important evaluations for use among national and international decision makers and government agencies. The proposed project aims to report on innovative developments made during the recent AR6 Assessment cycle by IPCC WGII to establish a standardized approach to risk assessment that incorporates key variables in climate risk.