Abstract
The Kangerlussuaq area of southwest Greenland encompasses diverse ecological, geomorphic, and climate gradients that function over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Ecosystems range from the microbial communities on the ice sheet and moisture-stressed terrestrial vegetation (and their associated herbivores) to freshwater and oligosaline lakes. These ecosystems are linked by a dynamic glacio-fluvial-aeolian geomorphic system that transports water, geological material, organic carbon and nutrients from the glacier surface to adjacent terrestrial and aquatic systems. This paraglacial system is now subject to substantial change because of rapid regional warming since 2000. Here, we describe changes in the eco- and geomorphic systems at a range of timescales and explore rapid future change in the links that integrate these systems. We highlight the importance of cross-system subsidies at the landscape scale and, importantly, how these might change in the near future as the Arctic is expected to continue to warm.
Highlights
The Kangerlussuaq area of southwest Greenland encompasses diverse ecological, geomorphic, and climate gradients that function over a range of spatial and temporal scales
Many of the ecological responses have been relatively predictable in terms of our understanding of the underlying processes—that is, altered phenology, longer growing seasons, the greening of terrestrial ecosystems, range expansion or contraction of plants and animals, and altered soil microbial activity associated with deepening active layers
Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS) mass losses are more than 100% higher after 1996 compared with the period between 1958 and 1996, with an extreme melt event on the GrIS in 2012 (e.g., Hanna et al 2014)
Summary
The Arctic in the Twenty-First Century: Changing Biogeochemical Linkages across a Paraglacial Landscape of Greenland. Evidence of the persistence of this process in the past can be found in lake (Anderson NJ et al 2012) and peat (Willemse et al.2003) records throughout the Kangerlussuaq region and in the widespread loess deposits in interior western Greenland These paleo-records suggest that aeolian activity has varied during the Holocene and that the magnitude and frequency of aeolian processes is closely linked to both ice-sheet hydrology and proglacial geomorphology, which control sediment supply and availability. This erosion represents local re-working and translocation of soil and loess, which has implications for local C and nutrient budgets
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
