Polar bear depredation of a thick-billed murre fledgling in open water at Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut

Martyn E. Obbard,

Christopher Di Corrado,

João Franco,

Roger Pimenta,

Boris Wise

Опубликована Апрель 12, 2022

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 of a thick-billed murre (Uria lomvia) in open water near Prince Leopold Island, Nunavut, and discuss implications for understanding the behavioural plasticity of polar bears and their opportunistic foraging patterns.

China’s engagement in Greenland: mutual economic benefits and political non-interference

Chuan Chen

Опубликована Март 17, 2022

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 both a deep-pocketed investor and a huge consumer market, especially in the mining, fishing and tourism industries. Greenland, therefore, views China as an important partner in its economic development, which is necessary for its independence from Denmark. Considering China’s relationship with Denmark, its …

Extremely high abundances of Prasiola crispa-associated micrometazoans in East Antarctica

Dzmitry A. Lukashanets,

Yury H. Hihiniak,

Vladislav Y. Miamin

Опубликована Июнь 20, 2022

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), followed by tardigrades. We did not find nematodes. The rotifer assemblages were characterized by low diversity (only six species). Nevertheless, rotifer densities were extremely high: mean densities ranged from 75 to 3030 individuals per 100 mg of the dry sample weight and the …

Diesel spills under stilted buildings in Canadian Arctic villages: what is the best remediation method?

Vincent Taillard,

Richard Martel,

Louis-César Pasquier,

Jean-François Blais,

Véronique Gilbert,

Guy Mercier

Опубликована Янв. 1, 2023

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 and environmental considerations and select the best remediation technology for this context: in situ chemical oxidation, involving sodium persulfate (SPS) alkali activated with calcium peroxide (CP). Activated SPS presents a good reactivity and amenability to compounds found in diesel. Its high persistence …

The polar sciences journal: the past and future of a crucial research instrument

Anna M. Gielas

Опубликована Сен. 12, 2022

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 elsewhere. This Perspective piece uses the 40th anniversary of Polar Research as an opportunity to look at the past of polar sciences periodicals—and invites reflection on their future.

Cetacean spatial trends from 2005 to 2019 in Svalbard, Norway

Olof Bengtsson,

Kit M. Kovacs,

Christian Lydersen

Опубликована Янв. 1, 2022

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 (2005–2009) and a recent period (2015–19) were compared to identify potential shifts in distribution in this area, which is experiencing rapid warming and concomitant sea-ice losses. Among the three Arctic endemic cetaceans, white whales (Delphinapterus leucas, also known as beluga) had a stable, coastal distribution throughout the study, whereas narwhals (Monodon monoceros) and bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) were …

Multidisciplinary perspectives on living marine resources in the Arctic

Sturla F. Kvamsdal,

Dorothy Dankel,

Nils-Arne Ekerhovd,

Alf Håkon Hoel,

Angelika Renner,

Anne Britt Sandø,

Stein Ivar Steinshamn

Опубликована Янв. 1, 2022

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. We synthesize relevant research, from oceanography and ecology, via economics, to political science and international law. We find that multidisciplinary research can enhance our understanding and promote new questions and issues relating to impacts and outcomes of climate change in the Arctic. Such issues include recent …

Possible signs of recovery of the nearly extirpated Spitsbergen bowhead whales: calves observed in east Greenland

Outi M. Tervo,

Mikkel-Holger Strander Sinding,

Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen,

Rikke G. Hansen,

Marie Louis

Опубликована Янв. 1, 2023

The Spitsbergen population of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) was harvested to near extinction during the whaling era. Here, we show possible signs of recovery of the population by reporting observations of two calves in the Scoresby Sund polynya in East Greenland on 2 and 4 May 2022, and it is the first observation of this kind in this area since the early 1900s.

An observation of white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) mating behaviour in the wild

Christian Lydersen,

Kerstin Langenberger,

Kit M. Kovacs

Опубликована Янв. 1, 2023

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 was pushed out of the water by the other animals. High tail-lifts and tail-slapping were frequently performed by males, and erect penises were observed many times. Trumpet calls were also heard. At one point, three males …

Local temperature near native vascular plants in the Argentine Islands–Kyiv Peninsula region, Antarctic Peninsula: annual variability and approximation using standard meteorological measurements

Mykhailo V. Savenets,

Larysa Pysarenko,

Svitlana Krakovska,

Ivan Parnikoza,

Denis Pishniak

Опубликована Янв. 1, 2023

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 Peninsula. Rather than measuring standard air or soil temperature, these loggers detect the temperature near the ground, in the microhabitats that harbour vascular plants. On a daily scale, LT correlates with standard (2-m) air temperature, with the values higher at …