Abstract: The transmission of ultraviolet (UVR) and photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) through sea ice is a key factor controlling under-ice phytoplankton growth in seasonally ice-covered waters. The increase toward sufficient light levels for positive net photosynthesis occurs concurrently with the sea ice melt progression in late spring when ice surface conditions shift from a relatively homogeneous high-albedo snow cover to a less reflective mosaic of bare ice and melt ponds. Here, we present a detailed dataset on the spatial and temporal progression of transmitted UVR and PAR in relation to changing quantities of snow, sea ice and melt ponds. Data were collected with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) during the GreenEdge landfast sea ice campaign in June–July 2016 in southwestern Baffin Bay. Over the course of melt progression, there was a 10-fold increase in spatially averaged UVR and PAR transmission through the sea ice cover, reaching a maximum transmission of 31% for PAR, 7% for UVB, and 26% for UVA radiation. The depth under the sea ice experiencing spatial variability in light levels due to the influence of surface heterogeneity in snow, white ice and melt pond distributions increased from 7 ± 4 to 20 ± 6 m over our study. Phytoplankton drifting in under-ice surface waters were thus exposed to variations in PAR availability of up to 43%, highlighting the importance to account for spatial heterogeneity in light transmission through melting sea ice. Consequently, we demonstrate that spatial averages of PAR transmission provided more representative light availability estimates to explain under-ice bloom progression relative to single point irradiance measurements during the sea ice melt season. Encouragingly, the strong dichotomy between white ice and melt pond PAR transmittance and surface albedo permitted a very good estimate of spatially averaged light transmission from drone imagery of the surface and point transmittance measurements beneath different ice surface types.

Abstract: In recent decades, climate change has been faster in various parts of the world. Within species, to counter rapid climate changes shift of geographical area, individuals’ plastic responses or populations’ genetic adaptation might occur. The sub-Antarctic islands are subject to one of the most rapid climate changes on earth, with already visible impacts on native vegetation. Such might be the case of Lyallia kerguelensis a cushion plant strictly endemic to the Kerguelen Islands. In L. kerguelensis, necrotic parts were observed in cushions these last decades and possibly related to water stress. We analysed morphological variability of L. kerguelensis, including necrosis extent, across 19 populations spanning a wide range of environments across the Kerguelen Islands. Inter-population variations in the cushion surface area, shape and compactness were well explained by topography, degree of wind exposure, slope aspect, proportions of coarse sand and bare soil, and geographical distance between populations. All these variables are related to wind intensity and water availability. Moreover, in cushions with less than 10% necrosis in surface area, necrosis extent was positively correlated to soil sodium. Sodium availability might reduce the plant’s capacity for osmotic adjustment in face of other abiotic stresses, such as water stress. We conclude that cushion morphology may have the capacity to adjust to environmental variation, including aspects of climate change, but that cushion necrosis may be accelerated in the driest and most saline environments.

Abstract: Aim The conservation of biodiversity is hampered by data deficiencies, with many new species and subspecies awaiting description or reclassification. Population genomics and ecological niche modelling offer complementary new tools for uncovering functional units of phylogenetic diversity. We hypothesize that phylogenetically delineated lineages of gentoo penguins (Pygoscelis papua) distributed across Antarctica and sub-Antarctic Islands are subject to spatially explicit ecological conditions that have limited gene flow, facilitating genetic differentiation, and thereby speciation processes. Location Antarctica and sub-Antarctic area. Methods We identify divergent lineages for gentoo penguins using ddRAD-seq and mtDNA, and generated species distribution models (SDMs) based on terrestrial and marine parameters. Results Analyses of our genomic data supports the existence of four major lineages of gentoo penguin: (i) spanning the sub-Antarctic archipelagos north of the Antarctic Polar Front (APF); (ii) Kerguelen Island; (iii) South America; and (iv) across maritime Antarctic and the Scotia Arc archipelagos. The APF, a major current system around Antarctica, acts as the most important barrier separating regional sister lineages. Our ecological analyses spanning both the terrestrial (breeding sites) and marine (feeding sites) realms recover limited niche overlap among the major lineages of gentoo penguin. We observe this pattern to correspond more closely with regional differentiation of marine conditions than to terrestrial macroenvironmental features. Main conclusions Recognition of regional genetic lineages as discrete evolutionary entities that occupy distinct ecological niches and also differ morphologically should be considered a priority for conservation. Gentoo penguins provide a good example of how conservation policy can be directly impacted by new insights obtained through the integration of larger genomic datasets with novel approaches to ecological modelling. This is particularly pertinent to polar environments that are among the most rapidly changing environments on earth.

Abstract: Arctic shrubs reduce surface albedo in winter when branches protrude above the snow. To calculate the albedo of those mixed surfaces, the branch area index (BAI) of Arctic shrubs needs to be known. Moreover, an exposed-vegetation function is required to determine the BAI for protruding branches only. This study used a structural analysis of 30 Betula glandulosa shrubs, sampled near Umiujaq, northern Quebec, to (i) establish an allometric relationship between shrub height and BAI and (ii) determine a specific exposed-vegetation function for Arctic shrubs. The spectral albedo (400–1080 nm) of mixed surfaces was then simulated with the equations derived from this study and validated with in situ measured spectra. Shrubs were sampled from two sites, one along the coast and the other in a nearby valley. The shrub height–BAI relationship varied between both sites. BAI values of shrubs growing in the wind-sheltered valley were 30%–50% lower. The exposed-vegetation function obtained here differed from the linear functions found in the literature. The linear functions strongly overestimated the BAI of exposed branches. Albedo was well simulated with an accuracy of 3% when using an allometric relationship adapted to the environmental conditions of our study site. However, simulated albedo values were consistently higher than field measurements, probably because radiation absorbed by impurities and buried branches was neglected in the model. We conclude that specific exposed-vegetation and allometric equations need to be implemented in models to accurately simulate the albedo of mixed snow–shrub surfaces.

Abstract: Environmental factors that can influence telomeres are diverse, but the association between telomeres and exposure to environmental contaminants is yet to be elucidated. To date, prior studies have focused on legacy persistent chlorinated pollutants (POPs), while the effects of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been poorly documented. Here, we investigated the associations among PFAS congeners, absolute telomere length (cross-sectional approach), and telomere dynamics (rate of telomere length change over time, longitudinal approach) in one of the most contaminated arctic top predators, the glaucous gull Larus hyperboreus from Svalbard. We further estimated the effect of PFAS on apparent survival rates and re-sighting probabilities using a 10-year capture/recapture dataset (2010–2019). We found that birds exposed to higher concentrations of perfluorononadecanoate (PFNA) (median of 1565 pg/mL of ww in males and 1370 pg/mL of ww in females) and perfluorotetradecanoate (PFTeDA) (median of 370 pg/mL of ww in males and 210 pg/mL of ww in females) showed the slowest rate of telomere shortening. We also found that high blood concentrations of perfluorooctanoate (PFOA) (median of 120 pg/mL of ww in males and 150 pg/mL of ww in females) and perfluorohexanesulfonate (PFHxS) (median of 495 pg/mL of ww in males and 395 pg/mL of ww in females) were positively associated with higher re-sighting probabilities and apparent survival in males but not in females. Our work is the first to report an association between single PFAS compounds and telomeres, and the first to link PFAS exposure with survival probabilities, suggesting that the effect of PFAS exposure might be more tied to the type of compound rather than the total concentration of PFAS.