Polar Research (E-Journal)
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Assessing the causes of breeding failure among the rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) during the nestling period
No full textWhen food becomes scarce, the youngest nestlings in facultatively siblicidal raptor species typically die and such events are usually attributed to siblicide. Here we present results from an investigation in the Arctic tundra, in which rough-legged buzzard (Buteo lagopus) breeding success was monitored with regular visits to nests and time-lapse cameras that continuously recorded the activity of chicks and their parents. The study took place in the Nenetsky Nature Reserve (68°20´N, 53°18´E) in the Russian Arctic, in 2007-10. It included 26 cases of chick mortality in 19 nests. The camera monitoring led us to discover instances of scavenging of chicks that had died due to starvation or bad weather in two nests. Camera monitoring also led us to discover how a sequence of abrupt weather shifts, between hot and sunny conditions and heavy rain, probably caused the death of nestlings in two nests. Detailed nest monitoring is required to avoid the mistaken attribution of such deaths to siblicide. Such extreme weather events may become more common with climate change and represent a new potential factor affecting roughlegged buzzards breeding success in the southern Arctic.Keywords: Buteo lagopus; nestling mortality; rough-legged buzzard; camera monitoring; siblicide; heat wave(Published: 12 March 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 17294, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v31i0.1729
Seafloor expression and shallow structure of a fold-and-thrust system, Isfjorden, west Spitsbergen
No full textA detailed map of the structure of the west Spitsbergen fold-and-thrust belt in the Isfjorden area, Spitsbergen, is presented. The map was constructed from a dense grid of two-dimensional multichannel reflection seismic and bathymetric data. Joint interpretation of two data sets allowed a comparison of tectonic structures detected along the uppermost parts of the seismic sections and those reflected in the morphology of the seafloor. Three major, predominantly northwest south-east striking faults were identified. The westernmost fault (T1) is a hinterland-directed (most likely out of sequence) thrust, while the central and easternmost faults (T2 and T3) are foreland-directed (in-sequence thrusts). The thrusts divide Isfjorden into three subareas. Subarea 1 is bounded by thrust faults T1 and T2 and comprises Tertiary rocks surrounded by Jurassic- Cretaceous strata. The structural signature of Subarea 1 is that of a system of hinterland- and foreland-directed thrust faults, resulting in a seafloor relief characterized by parallel ridges and troughs. Subarea 2 is limited by thrust faults T2 and T3 and shows JurassicCretaceous outcrops on the seafloor. Subarea 3 is situated east of the main thrust fault T3 and mainly involves outcrops of TriassicJurassic rocks. Together, Subareas 2 and 3 are dominated by forelanddirected, north-westsouth-east and NNWSSE-striking thrusts that are hardly detectable in bathymetric data.Keywords: Svalbard; Isfjorden; west Spitsbergen fold-and-thrust belt; seismic interpretation; seafloor morphology; shallow structures(Published: 5 September 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 11209, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.1120
A model study of the first ventilated regime of the Arctic Ocean during the early Miocene
No full textThe tectonic opening of Fram Strait during the Neogene was a significant geological event that transferred the Arctic Ocean from a poorly ventilated enclosed basin, with weak exchange with the North Atlantic, to a fully ventilated ‘‘ocean stage’’. Previous tectonic and physical oceanographic analyses suggest that the early Miocene Fram Strait was likely several times narrower and less than half as deep as the present-day 400 km wide and 2550 m deep strait. Here we use an ocean general circulation model with a passive age tracer included to further address the effect of the Fram Strait opening on the early Miocene Arctic Ocean circulation. The model tracer age exhibits strong spatial gradient between the two major Arctic Ocean deep basins: the Eurasian and Amerasian basins. There is a two-layer stratification and the exchange flow through Fram Strait shows a bi-layer structure with a low salinity outflow from the Arctic confined to a relatively thin upper layer and a saline inflow from the North Atlantic below. Our study suggests that although Fram Strait was significantly narrower and shallower during early Miocene, and the ventilation mechanism quite different in our model, the estimated ventilation rates are comparable to the chemical tracer estimates in the present-day Arctic Ocean. Since we achieved ventilation of the Arctic Ocean with a prescribed Fram Strait width of 100 km and sill depth of 1000 m, ventilation may have preceded the timing of a full ocean depth connection between the Arctic Ocean and North Atlantic established through seafloor spreading and the development of the Lena Trough.Keywords: Ocean modelling; Miocene Arctic Ocean; palaeoceanography; ocean ventilation; age tracer(Published: 30 July 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 10859, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.1085
Being there: examining the behaviour of Antarctic tourists through their blogs
No full textMost visitors to Antarctica today are commercial tourists. Over 150 000 tourists visited Antarctica between 2007 and 2010, making up more than 700 000 person/landings. Despite the scale of tourism in Antarctica, knowledge about its environmental impacts is generally inconclusive, and monitoring is limited. This article examines tourist behaviour regarding the environment using information available on travel weblogs (blogs) posted by tourists on the Internet. Fifty blogs describing Antarctic travel were analysed, mostly as part of organized tourism cruises, during the four Antarctic summer seasons between 2007 and 2010, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The blogs described the activities of 90 people who had visited Deception Island as part of their itinerary and who, overall, had undertaken at least 190 person/landings in Antarctica. Blog analysis highlighted the importance of wildlife as a tourist attraction. In the blogs it was apparent that touristwildlife interactions result in a range of behaviours from both individual tourists and animals. Tourism results in cultural traces and other environmental consequences, although some of these would not be judged as ‘‘impacts’’ under the current practice of implementing the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Blogs showed many more instances of compliance than of noncompliance with environmental regulations. Tourist blogs illustrate the behavioural processes by which environmental impacts from tourism could occur, which are repeated through thousands of person-landings and other activities in Antarctica every season. Precautionary action may be a practical alternative to manage tourism at some sites until it is clearer how this activity affects the environment.Keywords: Polar tourism; Antarctic tourism; behavioural archaeology; tourist behaviour; tourism impacts; Antarctic environment(Published: 28 December 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 10905, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.1090
Review of The 1926/27 Soviet polar census expeditions, by David G. Anderson
No full textAfter the Russian Civil War, in 1925, the new Soviet leaders cast their eyes on the thinly populated and remote northern areas of the Russian Empire to make them active parts of the Soviet project. In 1926-1927, the Soviet administration initiated expeditions to gather data on the whereabouts, economy and living conditions of rural people in the Arctic and sub-Arctic in the young Soviet Union. This turned into a massive ethnological programme that gathered demographic and economic data on almost every household as well as other unique materials such as photographs, maps, kinship charts, narrative transcripts and artefacts. The present book presents a number of analyses from 8 years’ investigations of parts of the collected material by a large, well-qualified team of scientists.
(Published: 24 January 2012)
Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 17147, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v31i0.1714
Leadership in politics and science within the Antarctic Treaty
No full textFor over 50 years the Antarctic has been governed through the Antarctic Treaty, an international agreement now between 49 nations of whom 28 Consultative Parties (CPs) undertake the management role. Ostensibly, these Parties have qualified for their position on scientific grounds, though diplomacy also plays a major role. This paper uses counts of policy papers and science publications to assess the political and scientific outputs of all CPs over the last 18 years. We show that a subset of the original 12 Treaty signatories, consisting of the seven claimant nations, the USA and Russia, not only set the political agenda for the continent but also provide most of the science, with those CPs producing the most science generally having the greatest political influence. None of the later signatories to the Treaty appear to play a major role in managing Antarctica compared with this group, with half of all CPs collectively producing only 7% of the policy papers. Although acceptance as a CP requires demonstration of a substantial scientific programme, the Treaty has no formal mechanism to review whether a CP continues to meet this criterion. As a first step to addressing this deficiency, we encourage the CPs collectively to resolve to hold regular international peer reviews of their individual science programmes and to make the results available to the other CPs.Keywords: Governance; claimant states; Antarctic policy; scientific publications.(Published: 12 April 2012)Read the press release here.Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 11075, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v31i0.1107
A flourishing population of sea mayweed (Tripleurospermum maritimum ssp. phaeocephalum) close to its northern limit in north-east Greenland
No full textDuring a British Arcturus Expedition to Eskimones on the south coast of Clavering Island, north-east Greenland in July 2003, the sandy south-facing coastal strip to the west of the ruined old trapper’s hut known as the Storholts Hus (Mikkelsen 2008) at 74°9’N, 21°33’W and west of Granatdal was noted to have an abundance of flowering plants of the Arctic subspecies of Tripleurospermum: Tripleurospermum maritimum ssp. phaeocephalum (Rupr.) Hämet-Ahti, Matricaria maritima ssp. phaeocephala (Rupr.) Rauchert, M. ambigua (Led.) Kryl. They carpeted the ground over some 100 m with 1000 or more flowers (Figs. 1, 2). The unexpected abundance of a sporadic species only found between 71° north latitude to just over 74° north latitude in East Greenland (Böcher et al. 1968), only about 22 km south of its northern limit (Bay 1992), was noteworthy. The site is fully exposed and open to the south across the 12-km wide Godthåbs Golf. Associated species were scattered plants of Arnica alpina (L.) Olin coll. and Chamerion latifolium (L.) Th. Fries & Lge. in full flower on the rather dry, moderately basic, sandy soil derived from the Devonian sedimentary rocks of this area (Henricksen 2008). There was no sign of seedlings.(Published: 19 June 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 18691, http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/polar.v31i0.1869
Chemical and isotopic characteristics of a glacier-derived naled in front of Austre Grønfjordbreen, Svalbard
No full textThe chemical and stable isotope composition of a glacier-derived naled in front of the glacier Austre Grønfjordbreen, Svalbard, is examined to elucidate how secondary processes such as preferential retention and leaching affect naled chemistry. Internal candle ice layers have a chemical composition almost similar to that of the lower stratified granular ice layer, whereas the upper granular ice layer has a significantly different composition, which resembles the composition found in glacier meltwater. Grey, platy cryogenic calcite precipitates are found in clusters on the surface of the naled assemblage, indicating preferential retention of Ca2 and HCO3. This process is particular pronounced in the distal part of the naled. The isotopic composition in the naled is in accordance with the local meteoric water line and without indications of kinetic fractionation during freezing. The ability to form icemarginal naled indicates that Austre Grønfjordbreen has the high meltwater storage potential required for triggering a glacier surge event.Keywords: Naled; naled chemistry; naled isotope composition; surge-type glaciers; Svalbard(Published: 27 March 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 17628, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v31i0.1762
Kelp and seaweed feeding by High-Arctic wild reindeer under extreme winter conditions
No full textOne challenge in current Arctic ecological research is to understand and predict how wildlife may respond to increased frequencies of ‘‘extreme’’ weather events. Heavy rain-on-snow (ROS) is one such extreme phenomenon associated with winter warming that is not well studied but has potentially profound ecosystem effects through changes in snow-pack properties and ice formation. Here, we document how ice-locked pastures following substantial amounts of ROS forced coastal Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) to use marine habitat in late winter 2010. A thick coat of ground ice covered 98% of the lowland ranges, almost completely blocking access to terrestrial forage. Accordingly, a population census revealed that 13% of the total population (n = 26 of 206 individuals) and 21% of one sub-population were feeding on washed-up kelp and seaweed on the sea-ice foot. Calves were overrepresented among the individuals that applied this foraging strategy, which probably represents a last attempt to avoid starvation under particularly severe foraging conditions. The study adds to the impression that extreme weather events such as heavy ROS and associated icing can trigger large changes in the realized foraging niche of Arctic herbivores.Keywords: Climate change; ground-ice; High Arctic; marine algae; Rangifer tarandus; terrestrial herbivore.(Published: 9 March 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 17258, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v31i0.1725
Perspective: Strategic challenges of tourism development and governance in Antarctica: taking stock and moving forward
No full textAntarctic tourism has grown rapidly in volume and diversified into an ever wider range of activities, transport modes and destinations. Antarctica is a global commons, which limits the range of options for regulating tourism development. This configuration has raised concerns and debates among academics, policy makers and interest groups about the challenges for regulation and management in the long term. Based on a literature review of recently published research and policy papers, this article takes stock of the current state of knowledge about the strategic challenges facing Antarctic tourism regulators and proposes ways forward for research and policy. Three clusters of strategic challenges are presented: addressing collective interests in the face of increasingly diverging interests of actors; the complex nature and indeterminacy of Antarctic tourism processes and impacts across different spatial and temporal scales; and the reliance on shared responsibility in developing and implementing tourism policy. In light of these strategic challenges, this article outlines aspects that need to be improved if a more strategic governance approach is to be embraced towards Antarctic tourism. The paper posits that a collective strategy on Antarctic tourism should be positioned at the heart of Antarctic tourism regulation and should be developed to address upcoming challenges more comprehensively and consistently. Finally, besides identifying policy instruments capable of contributing towards this strategy, independent monitoring and observation systems ought to be created to guarantee impartial checks and balances with regard to Antarctic tourism.Keywords: Tourism; Antarctica; development governance; strategic(Published: 20 February 2012)Citation: Polar Research 2012, 31, 17219, DOI: 10.3402/polar.v31i0.1721