Dermot Antoniades

Climate Change and Mercury Accumulation in Canadian High and Subarctic Lakes

Mercury (Hg) profiles were compared to profiles of climate indicators including microfossil remains and algal-derived or S2 carbon (C) in dated sediment cores from 14 lakes spanning latitudinal and longitudinal gradients across the Canadian high and subarctic. Hg fluxes increased postindustrialization (post-∼1850) in 11 of these lakes (postindustrialization Hg fluxes (ΔHgF(F)) = 2-24 μg m(-2) y(-1)). Correction of HgF(F) for catchment contributions demonstrated that Hg deposition originating from catchment-independent factors, such as atmospheric deposition, increased since industrialization in all 14 lakes. Several of these lakes also showed postindustrial shifts in algal assemblages consistent with climate-induced changes. Eleven lakes showed post-1850s increases in S2F(F), suggesting that lake primary productivity has recently increased in the majority of our sites (ΔS2F(F) = 0.1-4 g m(-2) y(-1)). Other studies have interpreted significant relationships between Hg:S2 concentrations in Arctic sediment as support for the algal scavenging hypothesis, which postulates that Hg fluxes to Arctic sediments are largely driven by S2. However, in six of our lakes we observed no Hg:S2 relationship, and in one lake a significant negative Hg:S2 relationship was observed due to increased Hg and decreased S2 C deposition during the postindustrialization period. In six of the seven lakes where a significant positive Hg:S2 relationship was observed, algal assemblages either did not change through time or the timing of the shifts did not correspond to changes in Hg deposition. Our results demonstrate that, although Arctic lakes are experiencing a myriad of changes, including increased Hg and S2 deposition or changing algal assemblages, increased lake primary productivity does not appear to be driving changes in Hg fluxes to sediments.

Comparative physical and chemical limnology of two Canadian High Arctic regions: Alert (Ellesmere Island, NU) and Mould Bay (Prince Patrick Island, NWT)

The physical and chemical limnological characteristics of 65 lakes and ponds from two areas in the Canadian High Arctic were examined to determine differences in regional limnology due to geological and vegetational characteristics, as well as other climate factors. Sites in the Alert region of northern Ellesmere Island had relatively low concentrations of total phosphorus (median TP = 9.1 pg l -1 ), and total N (median = 0.465 mg l -1 ). Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations were relatively low (median = 2.7 mg l -1 ) retracting the sparsity of vegetation in the region. Within the Alert dataset, there were pronounced differences in water chemistry between small tundra ponds and larger, deeper lakes. The first axis of a principal components analysis of the Alert dataset reflected conductivity and nutrient gradients (λ = 0.28), while the second axis (λ = 0.20) was related to metal concentrations. Mould Bay sites on Prince Patrick Island had relatively high concentrations of TP (mean = 16.5 μg l -1 ), total N (mean = 0.616 mg l -1 ), and DOC (mean = 6.7 mg l -1 ). Mean total N and DOC were at the highest levels yet measured from any similar high arctic limnological survey, while mean TP was the second highest high arctic value yet recorded in our surveys. A principal components analysis of the Mould Bay data indicated that the two dominant gradients in the dataset were conductivity and related variables (λ = 0.30) and nutrients (λ = 0.19). The differences in water chemistry variables between Mould Bay and all predacious high arctic surveys is attributable to the relatively dense vegetation and deep soils present at Mould Bay relative to Alert and other high arctic regions.

Holocene dynamics of the Arctic's largest ice shelf

Ice shelves in the Arctic lost more than 90% of their total surface area during the 20th century and are continuing to disintegrate rapidly. The significance of these changes, however, is obscured by the poorly constrained ontogeny of Arctic ice shelves. Here we use the sedimentary record behind the largest remaining ice shelf in the Arctic, the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf (Ellesmere Island, Canada), to establish a long-term context in which to evaluate recent ice-shelf deterioration. Multiproxy analysis of sediment cores revealed pronounced biological and geochemical changes in Disraeli Fiord in response to the formation of the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf and its fluctuations through time. Our results show that the ice shelf was absent during the early Holocene and formed 4,000 years ago in response to climate cooling. Paleoecological data then indicate that the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf remained stable for almost three millennia before a major fracturing event that occurred ∼1,400 years ago. After reformation ∼800 years ago, freshwater was a constant feature of Disraeli Fiord until the catastrophic drainage of its epishelf lake in the early 21st century.

Benthic diatom autecology and inference model development from the Canadian high arctic archipelago

Diatom assemblages were analyzed from 64 lakes and ponds from Alert, Ellesmere Island and Mould Bay, Prince Patrick Island in the Canadian High Arctic Archipelago. Diverse water chemistry conditions and diatom communities were present in these sites. Small benthic taxa typically dominated diatom communities; however, assemblages were markedly different between Alert and Mould Bay sites in response to disparate water chemistry characteristics in the two regions. The most abundant taxa belonged to the genera Navicula, Cymbella, Achnanthes, Nitzschia, and Pinnularia. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that pH, specific conductivity, dissolved organic carbon, and total phosphorus were the most important limnological variables in determining species composition. Diatom inference models were developed for pH, specific conductivity, and dissolved organic carbon using weighted averaging and weighted averaging partial least squares techniques; these had root mean square error of prediction/r2boot values of 0.40/0.77, 0.28/0.70, and 0.24/0.55, respectively. These models are applicable to sites with large ranges of taxonomic and limnological variation and will allow the reconstruction of past changes of climate‐related limnological parameters from biostratigraphic records in future paleolimnological studies.

Diatom species-environment relationships and inference models from Isachsen, Ellef Ringnes Island, Canadian High Arctic

Surface sediment diatom assemblages were examined from 26 freshwater sites near Isachsen (78°47′N, 103°32′W), Ellef Ringnes Island, a region of diverse and atypical water chemistry for high arctic sites. One hundred and sixty eight diatom taxa were identified from these samples, over 50% of which had not previously been recorded in the Canadian High Arctic. Variations in diatom assemblages were related to changes in measured environmental variables using multivariate techniques. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) indicated that five variables contributed significantly to explaining patterns of diatom variation (i.e., COND, DIC, Mn, TPF, TPU). The first CCA axis (λ=0.44) was primarily controlled by conductivity-related variables, while CCA axis 2 (λ=0.21) was related to particulate concentrations. Diatom-based inference models were generated for the reconstruction of conductivity (RMSEPjack=0.32, r2jack=0.76) and pH (RMSEPjack=0.40, r2jack=0.69). The strengths of these models indicate that it will be possible to reliably infer past trends in conductivity and pH from diatom assemblages preserved in dated sediment cores from the Isachsen region.

Effects of loss of perennial lake ice on mixing and phytoplankton dynamics: insights from High Arctic Canada

Abstract Perennially ice-covered lakes are well known from Antarctica and also occur in the extreme High Arctic. Climate change has many implications for these lakes, including the thinning and disappearance of their perennial ice cover. The goal of this study was to consider the effects of transition to seasonal ice cover by way of limnological observations on a series of meromictic lakes along the northern coastline of Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada. Conductivity-temperature profiles during a rare period of ice-free conditions (August 2008) in these lakes suggested effects of wind-induced mixing of their surface freshwater layers and the onset of entrainment of water at the halocline. Sampling of the mixed layer of one of these meromictic lakes in May and August 2008 revealed a pronounced vertical structure in phytoplankton pigments and species composition, with dominance by cyanobacteria, green algae, chrysophytes, cryptophytes and dinoflagellates, and a conspicuous absence of diatoms. The loss of ice cover resulted in an 80-fold increase in water column irradiance and apparent mixing of the upper water column during a period of higher wind speeds. Zeaxanthin, a pigment found in cyanobacteria, was entirely restricted to the <3μm cell fraction at all depths and increased by a factor of 2–17, with the greatest increases in the upper halocline region subject to mixing. Consistent with the pigment data, picocyanobacterial populations increased by a factor of 3, with the highest concentration (1.65 × 108 cells L−1) in the upper halocline. Chlorophyll a concentrations and the relative importance of phytoplankton groups differed among the four lakes during the open-water period, implying lake-specific differences in phytoplankton community structure under ice-free conditions.

Extreme Ecosystems and Geosystems in the Canadian High Arctic: Ward Hunt Island and Vicinity

Abstract: Global circulation models predict that the strongest and most rapid effects of global warming will take place at the highest latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Consistent with this prediction, the Ward Hunt Island region at the northern terrestrial limit of Arctic Canada is experiencing the onset of major environmental changes. This article provides a synthesis of research including new observations on the diverse geosystems/ecosystems of this coastal region of northern Ellesmere Island that extends to latitude 83.11° N (Cape Aldrich). The climate is extreme, with an average annual air temperature of -17.2 °C, similar to Antarctic regions such as the McMurdo Dry Valleys. The region is geologically distinct (the Pearya Terrane) and contains steep mountainous terrain intersected by deep fiords and fluvial valleys. Numerous glaciers flow into the valleys, fiords, and bays, and thick multi-year sea ice and ice shelves occur along the coast. These extreme ice features are currently undergoing rapid attrition. The polar desert landscape contains sparse, discontinuous patches of vegetation, including dense stands of the prostrate shrub Salix arctica (Artic willow) at some sites, and 37 species of vascular plants on Ward Hunt Island. Diverse aquatic ecosystems occur throughout the area, including meromictic, epishelf, and perennially ice-covered lakes. Many of these have responded strongly to climate shifts in the past and like other geosystems/ecosystems of the region are now sentinels of ongoing global climate change.

Chronostratigraphy of the sedimentary record of Limnopolar Lake, Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica

Abstract The chronostratigraphy of the sedimentary record of Limnopolar Lake, located on Byers Peninsula (Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, Maritime Antarctica), is described based on radionuclides and radiocarbon age dating. The oldest moss macrofossil age was 6700±50 yr bp (7510±80 cal yr bp) from which the age/depth model estimates a basal age for the sedimentary record of c. 8300 cal yr bp, suggesting an earlier deglaciation of Byers Peninsula than reported in previous studies. Lithological units and other stratigraphic zones are described throughout the sediment core, showing different mineralogical composition and a fine alternation of clays and silty clays and moss layers of Drepanocladus longifolius. Based on magnetic susceptibility analyses, a number of probable primary and reworked tephra layers were identified, seven of them confirmed by SEM observations, and most of them in agreement with the regional tephrachronology stratigraphy for the north-west Antarctic Peninsula. Sedimentation rates showed no significant changes during the last 5000 years with the exception of an abrupt event that took place around 5400 cal yr bp, which implied the sedimentation of c. 30 cm of clays in a very short time, probably related to a period of glacial re-advance that caused abrupt changes in geomorphological processes in the catchment.

Application of ancient DNA to the reconstruction of past microbial assemblages and for the detection of toxic cyanobacteria in subtropical freshwater ecosystems

Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis of lake sediments is a promising tool for detecting shifts in past microbial assemblages in response to changing environmental conditions. We examined sediment core samples from subtropical, freshwater Laguna Blanca (Uruguay), which has been severely affected by cultural eutrophication since 1960 and where cyanobacterial blooms, particularly those of the saxitoxin‐producer Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, have been reported since the 1990s. Samples corresponding to ~1846, 1852, 2000 and 2007 AD were selected to perform denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis of the 16S–23S rRNA intergenic transcribed spacer (ribosomal ITS) to compare their prokaryotic assemblage composition. Each stratum showed different ITS patterns, but the composition of 21st century samples was clearly different than those of mid‐19th century. This compositional change was correlated with shifts in sediment organic matter and chlorophyll a content, which were significantly higher in recent samples. The presence of saxitoxin‐producing cyanobacteria was addressed by quantitative real‐time PCR of the sxtU gene involved in toxin biosynthesis. This gene was present only in recent samples, for which clone libraries and ITS sequencing indicated the presence of Cyanobacteria. Phylogenetic analyses identified C. raciborskii only in the 2000 sample, shortly after several years when blooms were recorded in the lake. These data suggest the utility of aDNA for the reconstruction of microbial assemblage shifts in subtropical lakes, at least on centennial scales. The application of aDNA analysis to genes involved in cyanotoxin synthesis extends the applicability of molecular techniques in palaeolimnological studies to include key microbial community characteristics of great scientific and social interest.

Milne Fiord Epishelf Lake: A Coastal Arctic Ecosystem Vulnerable to Climate Change

Abstract: Milne Fiord in the Canadian High Arctic contains the last known ice-dammed fiord lake (epishelf lake) in the Northern Hemisphere. This freshwater ecosystem is retained by the Milne Ice Shelf and is underlain by sea water that is connected to the Arctic Ocean. Using microscopy, photosynthetic pigment analyses, and molecular techniques we examined the planktonic communities present in Milne Fiord to determine the biotic characteristics of the epishelf lake and the sea water below. Net sampling of the water column of Milne Fiord revealed a mixture of marine, freshwater, and brackish Zooplankton taxa, and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment analysis showed pronounced differences in phytoplankton composition through the highly stratified water column. Chlorophytes dominated in the epishelf lake, prasinophytes prevailed in the halocline, and the bottom layer harboured mainly fucoxanthin-containing groups. Clone libraries of a dark-incubated, concentrated sample from below the halocline (30 m depth) yielded marine Archaea (mainly Crenarchaeota) and known bacterial taxa from the Pacific and Arctic oceans (e.g., Roseobacter, Oleispira, Colwellia). An equivalent sample from the epishelf lake (5 m depth) yielded many bacterial taxa that are characteristic of cold, freshwater habitats (e.g., Polynucleobacter, Variovorax, Flavobacterium), the euryhaline genus Polaromonas, and freshwater eukaryotes, notably ciliates. Similarly, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analyses of T4-like bacteriophages showed different viral assemblages in the upper and lower water column. This diverse, stratified ecosystem is dependent on the integrity of the bounding ice shelf and is therefore vulnerable to the ongoing effects of climate change in this region.