This book addresses the significant environmental changes experienced by high latitude and high altitude ecosystems at the beginning of the 21st c- tury. Increased temperatures and precipitation, reduction in sea ice and glacier ice, the increased levels of UV-radiation and the long-range tra- ported contaminants in arctic and alpine regions are stress factors that challenge terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The large natural variation in the physical parameters of these extreme environments is a key factor in structuring the biodiversity and biotic productivity, and the effect of the new stress factors can be critical for the population structures and the – teraction between species. These changes may also have socio-economic effects if the changes affect the bio-production, which form the basis for the marine and terrestrial food chains. The book is uniquely multidisciplinary and provides examples of va- ous aspects of contemporary environmental change in arctic and alpine – gions. The 21 chapters of the book are organised under the fields of •Climate change and ecosystem response, •Long range transport of poll- ants and ecological impacts, and •UV radiation and biological effects, each also including aspects of the •Socio-economic effects of environmental change. The introductory chapter presents and explains the internal c- nection and integration of all chapters. The added value of these reviews and review-like manuscripts from different disciplines hopefully yields new information about the integrated aspects of environmental change.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Arctic-Alpine Ecosystems and People in a Changing Environment — Introduction.- Integrated aspects of environmental change: Climate change, UV radiation and long range transport of pollutants.- An environment at risk: Arctic indigenous peoples, local livelihoods and climate change.- Climate change and ecosystem response.- Climate variation in the European sector of the Arctic: Observations and scenarios.- Impact of climate change on arctic and alpine lakes: Effects on phenology and community dynamics.- Changes in growing season in Fennoscandia 1982–1999.- Northern climates and woody plant distribution.- Topographic complexity and terrestrial biotic response to high-latitude climate change: Variance is as important as the mean.- The flow of Atlantic water to the Nordic Seas and Arctic Ocean.- Climate variability and possible effects on arctic food chains: The role of Calanus.- Adjustment to reality: Social responses to climate changes in Greenland.- UV radiation and biological effects.- Factors, trends and scenarios of UV radiation in arctic-alpine environments.- Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation and epidermal UV screening in arctic and alpine plants.- Effects of UV radiation in arctic and alpine freshwater ecosystems.- Climate control of biological UV exposure in polar and alpine aquatic ecosystems.- Effects of UV radiation on seaweeds.- Climate and ozone change effects on UV-radiation and health risks.- Long range pollutants transport and ecological impacts.- Contaminants, global change and cold regions.- Modeling of long-range transport of contaminants from potential sources in the Arctic Ocean by water and sea ice.- Long-term atmospheric contaminant monitoring for the elucidation of airborne transport processes into polar regions.- Levels and effects ofpersistent organic pollutants in arctic animals.- Arctic health problems and environmental challenges in Greenland.
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