Arctic fjords are social-ecological systems
Glacier fronts and sea ice systems are hotspots of biodiversity. Their retreat will pose threats to Arctic coastal ecosystem function and eventually local livelihoods. The Arctic is a harbinger of the consequences of multiple global and regional environmental change on ecosystems and livelihoods: The overarching objective of FACE-IT is to enable adaptive co-management of social-ecological fjord systems in the Arctic in the face of rapid cryosphere and biodiversity changes.
14
International
institutions
7
Unique
sample sites
8
Countries
Latest Updates
Glacial retreat and rising temperatures are limiting the expansion of temperate kelp species in the future Arctic
February 1, 2023
Kelps act as ecosystem engineers on many polar rocky shore coastlines. The underwater light climate and temperature are the main drivers for their vertical and latitudinal distribution. With temperatures rising globally, an Arctic expansion of temperate kelp species and an accelerating glacial melt is predicted.
Policy Briefing “Arctic Biodiversity, climate and food security”
February 1, 2023
FACE-IT, ECOTIP and CHARTER, the three Horizon 2020 projects working on Arctic biodiversity and ice loss are conducting a policy briefing on 15 March 2023, 2 pm, in Brussels.
To Live Up to Our Name “Greenland”: Politics of Comparison in Greenland’s Green Transition
January 19, 2023
In 2021, the Government of Greenland made an active, discursive shift in the political discourse regarding Greenlandic development. Since the last general election, the political agenda has changed from prioritizing industrialization and the development of extractive industries (with little focus on ratifying international treaties and commitments to lower CO2 emissions to limit global warming) to suddenly wanting to “live up to our name, Greenland” by kickstarting a green transition with the ambition to be an exporter of hydropower and mining rare earth elements (REE) to support the technology for the green transition.
Glacial meltwater determines the balance between autotrophic and heterotrophic processes in a Greenland fjord
December 19, 2022
Global warming accelerates melting of glaciers and increases the supply of meltwater and associated inorganic particles, nutrients, and organic matter to adjacent coastal seas, but the ecosystem impact is poorly resolved and quantified.
Impact of climate change on Arctic macroalgal communities
November 9, 2022
The Arctic region faces a warming rate that is more than twice the global average. Sea-ice loss, increase in precipitation and freshwater discharge, changes in underwater light, and amplification of ocean acidification modify benthic habitats and the communities they host.
FACE-IT Scenario Workshop in Longyearbyen, Svalbard
October 23, 2022
On 26 August 2022, FACE-IT will be hosting a scenario workshop in Nuuk, Greenland, inviting stakeholders of the Nuup Kangerlua fjord to explore how climate change and other factors might affect the fjord and its future value for fishing and hunting, tourism, recreation and other activities.
Arctic fjords without ice? Biological and societal effects of melting glaciers
October 14, 2022
Public Colloquium: 30 November 2022
High Ecophysiological Plasticity of Desmarestia aculeata (Phaeophyceae) Present in an Arctic Fjord under Varying Salinity and Irradiance Conditions
October 13, 2022
The seaweed Desmarestia aculeata (Phaeophyceae) is distributed in the temperate zone of the North Atlantic up to the Arctic, where it is exposed to a high Arctic light regime and fluctuating salinity conditions resulting from glacial and terrestrial run-off. Information on how this species is able to thrive under current and future Arctic conditions is scarce.
Light and freshwater discharge drive the biogeochemistry and microbial ecology in a sub-Arctic fjord over the Polar night
September 30, 2022
The polar night has recently received increased attention as a surprisingly active biological season. Yet, polar night microbial ecology is a vastly understudied field. To identify the physical and biogeochemical parameters driving microbial activity over the dark season, we studied a sub-Arctic fjord system in northern Norway from autumn to early spring with detailed monthly sampling.