Abstracts

Climate Change and Freshwater in the Arctic

T.D. Prowse¹, F.J. Wrona and J.D. Reist
¹Environment Canada
Terry.Prowse@ec.gc.ca

A prominent feature of the Arctic is the significant number and diversity of freshwater ecosystems it encompasses. For example, it contains some of the world's largest rivers such as the Lena, Mackenzie, Ob and Yenisey; numerous permanent and semi-permanent steams and rivers draining mountains, highlands and glaciated areas; large lakes such as Great Bear and Great Slave; a myriad of smaller permanent and semi-permanent lakes and ponds; vast areas of wetlands, and coastal estuarine and river deltas. In turn, these freshwater systems contain a wide variety of organism that have developed adaptation strategies to cope with the extreme environmental conditions they face. However, as recently reviewed by the international scientific review, the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA), the Arctic has experienced some significant changes to its hydrologic regimes and more dramatic changes are forecast for the next century under anthropogenically induced climate change. These will in turn have major implications for the biological productivity and biodiversity of Arctic aquatic systems as outlined in a companion talk by Wrona et al.. Observed historical and projected changes in hydrologic systems are reviewed with a focus on those most important to freshwater ecosystems.

2005-04-05