While climate records are being routinely broken, the cumulative impact of these changes could also cause fundamental parts of the Earth system to change dramatically and irreversibly.
‘Tundra be dammed’: Beavers are following shrubs into Arctic tundra landscapes
Scientists with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, U.S. Geological Survey and other institutions have documented 56 beaver complexes that have been built since 1999 along rivers and creeks in Arctic northwestern Alaska.
Crashing shorebird populations worldwide
Shorebird populations have shrunk, on average, by an estimated 70% across North America since 1973, and the species that breed in the Arctic are among the hardest hit. Photo by Malkolm Boothroyd
Reindeer and Caribou populations struggle to keep up with changes in the landscape from climate chaos
Living in the harsh environments of the Arctic and Subarctic, populations of both reindeer and caribou—members of the Rangifer genus—naturally vary in number over decades. But the abundance of migratory reindeer and caribou has continuously declined since the mid-1990s, according to the 2018 Arctic Report Card.
Change in the Arctic and along migration routes deeply impacts Arctic bird species
Global climate change has the potential to influence Arctic bird populations in many ways, through effects acting in the Arctic itself as well as on migration routes or in wintering areas.
