NEWS Climate change and development threaten the health of Arctic freshwater ecosystems, with continued warming pushing cold-water species unique to the Arctic, such as the Arctic char, to the brink of regional loss, and increasing the likelihood of toxic cyanobacteria blooms, says the State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Report released during the Arctic Council's meeting in Rovaniemi, Finland, on the 7th of May.
Arcum affiliated researchers Danny Chun Pong Lau, Assistant Professor, and Jan Karlsson, Professor, both at the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, has participated in writing the report.
Danny studies aspects in biodiversity and ecosystem functions, and their interactions with the trophic ecology of consumers under environmental variations and/or disturbances, amongst other things.
Jan's research focus is on impacts of climate change on the biogeochemistry of high latitude aquatic ecosystems. His research merges abiotic (chemical and physical) and biotic factors and processes with special emphasis on distinguishing between direct (mainly temperature) and indirect (via changes in catchment export of matter) climate impacts and between short and long-term effects.
The report is a compilation of the state of knowledge about biodiversity in Arctic freshwater ecosystems, changes and important gaps in our ability to assess biodiversity in a number of areas.
The aim is to assess the current status and trends of freshwater biodiversity throughout the Arctic.
Read more, or download the report, on CAFF's homepage.
