Climate change and its diverse regional impacts on Greenland's marine biota

Thomas Gjerluff Ager; Mikael K. Sejr; Carlos M. Duarte; Kenneth D. Mankoff; Vibe Schourup-Kristensen; David Boertmann; Eva Friis Møller; Jakob Thyrring; Dorte Krause-Jensen

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179443

Climate change and its diverse regional impacts on Greenland's marine biota

Thomas Gjerluff Ager^*, Mikael K. Sejr, Carlos M. Duarte, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Vibe Schourup-Kristensen, David Boertmann, Eva Friis Møller, Jakob Thyrring, Dorte Krause-Jensen

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

This study quantified climate-driven changes and spatial variability in key environmental drivers over four decades along Greenland's coastal and shelf marine ecosystems and evaluated their impacts on marine biota divided into six regions. We analyzed trends in sea ice concentration and seasonality, sea surface temperatures, salinity, and freshwater inputs from ice discharge and freshwater runoff. West, East, and Southeast Greenland were most impacted by climate change, driven by increasing sea surface temperatures (0.22–0.5 °C decade⁻¹), freshwater inputs (10.14–24.93 Gt yr⁻¹ decade⁻¹), declining sea ice concentrations (3–5.3 % decade⁻¹), and more open water days (10.92–23.9 days decade⁻¹). The Northwest and Northeast regions appeared more resilient due to lower sea surface temperature increases (0.01–0.03 °C decade⁻¹) and sea ice declines (0.5–2.1 % decade⁻¹). Changes in Southwest Greenland were limited to sea surface temperature (0.27 °C decade⁻¹) and freshwater runoff (7.66 Gt yr⁻¹ decade⁻¹) increases since the 1990s. Synthesized evidence from 94 marine biota time series showed 73 exhibiting significant changes, and 37 identified an environmental driver: sea ice (20), temperature (19), and runoff (2). Only four time series considered multiple drivers. Biota time series trends mirrored regional environmental changes; 78 % changed significantly in West, East and Southeast regions combined, 73 % in southwest, and 56 % in the northern regions. Fish, benthic flora, and benthic fauna responses remained unclear due to data gaps, underscoring the need for further research. In conclusion, our findings reveal widespread biological change linked to climate but with distinct regional patterns in environmental drivers and associated responses across Greenland.

Original language	English
Article number	179443
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	979
ISSN	0048-9697
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179443
Publication status	Published - 1 Jun 2025

Keywords

Climate change
Coastal marine ecosystems
Environmental drivers
Greenland
Marine biota
Regional dynamics
Time series

Access to Document

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179443

Check availability with the Royal Danish Library

Cite this

@article{99303d4e70eb40d787f2f8dd74ec880c,

title = "Climate change and its diverse regional impacts on Greenland's marine biota",

abstract = "This study quantified climate-driven changes and spatial variability in key environmental drivers over four decades along Greenland's coastal and shelf marine ecosystems and evaluated their impacts on marine biota divided into six regions. We analyzed trends in sea ice concentration and seasonality, sea surface temperatures, salinity, and freshwater inputs from ice discharge and freshwater runoff. West, East, and Southeast Greenland were most impacted by climate change, driven by increasing sea surface temperatures (0.22–0.5 °C decade−1), freshwater inputs (10.14–24.93 Gt yr−1 decade−1), declining sea ice concentrations (3–5.3 % decade−1), and more open water days (10.92–23.9 days decade−1). The Northwest and Northeast regions appeared more resilient due to lower sea surface temperature increases (0.01–0.03 °C decade−1) and sea ice declines (0.5–2.1 % decade−1). Changes in Southwest Greenland were limited to sea surface temperature (0.27 °C decade−1) and freshwater runoff (7.66 Gt yr−1 decade−1) increases since the 1990s. Synthesized evidence from 94 marine biota time series showed 73 exhibiting significant changes, and 37 identified an environmental driver: sea ice (20), temperature (19), and runoff (2). Only four time series considered multiple drivers. Biota time series trends mirrored regional environmental changes; 78 % changed significantly in West, East and Southeast regions combined, 73 % in southwest, and 56 % in the northern regions. Fish, benthic flora, and benthic fauna responses remained unclear due to data gaps, underscoring the need for further research. In conclusion, our findings reveal widespread biological change linked to climate but with distinct regional patterns in environmental drivers and associated responses across Greenland.",

keywords = "Climate change, Coastal marine ecosystems, Environmental drivers, Greenland, Marine biota, Regional dynamics, Time series",

author = "Ager, {Thomas Gjerluff} and Sejr, {Mikael K.} and Duarte, {Carlos M.} and Mankoff, {Kenneth D.} and Vibe Schourup-Kristensen and David Boertmann and M{\o}ller, {Eva Friis} and Jakob Thyrring and Dorte Krause-Jensen",

year = "2025",

month = jun,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179443",

language = "English",

volume = "979",

journal = "Science of the Total Environment",

issn = "0048-9697",

publisher = "Elsevier B.V.",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Climate change and its diverse regional impacts on Greenland's marine biota

AU - Ager, Thomas Gjerluff

AU - Sejr, Mikael K.

AU - Duarte, Carlos M.

AU - Mankoff, Kenneth D.

AU - Schourup-Kristensen, Vibe

AU - Boertmann, David

AU - Møller, Eva Friis

AU - Thyrring, Jakob

AU - Krause-Jensen, Dorte

PY - 2025/6/1

Y1 - 2025/6/1

N2 - This study quantified climate-driven changes and spatial variability in key environmental drivers over four decades along Greenland's coastal and shelf marine ecosystems and evaluated their impacts on marine biota divided into six regions. We analyzed trends in sea ice concentration and seasonality, sea surface temperatures, salinity, and freshwater inputs from ice discharge and freshwater runoff. West, East, and Southeast Greenland were most impacted by climate change, driven by increasing sea surface temperatures (0.22–0.5 °C decade−1), freshwater inputs (10.14–24.93 Gt yr−1 decade−1), declining sea ice concentrations (3–5.3 % decade−1), and more open water days (10.92–23.9 days decade−1). The Northwest and Northeast regions appeared more resilient due to lower sea surface temperature increases (0.01–0.03 °C decade−1) and sea ice declines (0.5–2.1 % decade−1). Changes in Southwest Greenland were limited to sea surface temperature (0.27 °C decade−1) and freshwater runoff (7.66 Gt yr−1 decade−1) increases since the 1990s. Synthesized evidence from 94 marine biota time series showed 73 exhibiting significant changes, and 37 identified an environmental driver: sea ice (20), temperature (19), and runoff (2). Only four time series considered multiple drivers. Biota time series trends mirrored regional environmental changes; 78 % changed significantly in West, East and Southeast regions combined, 73 % in southwest, and 56 % in the northern regions. Fish, benthic flora, and benthic fauna responses remained unclear due to data gaps, underscoring the need for further research. In conclusion, our findings reveal widespread biological change linked to climate but with distinct regional patterns in environmental drivers and associated responses across Greenland.

AB - This study quantified climate-driven changes and spatial variability in key environmental drivers over four decades along Greenland's coastal and shelf marine ecosystems and evaluated their impacts on marine biota divided into six regions. We analyzed trends in sea ice concentration and seasonality, sea surface temperatures, salinity, and freshwater inputs from ice discharge and freshwater runoff. West, East, and Southeast Greenland were most impacted by climate change, driven by increasing sea surface temperatures (0.22–0.5 °C decade−1), freshwater inputs (10.14–24.93 Gt yr−1 decade−1), declining sea ice concentrations (3–5.3 % decade−1), and more open water days (10.92–23.9 days decade−1). The Northwest and Northeast regions appeared more resilient due to lower sea surface temperature increases (0.01–0.03 °C decade−1) and sea ice declines (0.5–2.1 % decade−1). Changes in Southwest Greenland were limited to sea surface temperature (0.27 °C decade−1) and freshwater runoff (7.66 Gt yr−1 decade−1) increases since the 1990s. Synthesized evidence from 94 marine biota time series showed 73 exhibiting significant changes, and 37 identified an environmental driver: sea ice (20), temperature (19), and runoff (2). Only four time series considered multiple drivers. Biota time series trends mirrored regional environmental changes; 78 % changed significantly in West, East and Southeast regions combined, 73 % in southwest, and 56 % in the northern regions. Fish, benthic flora, and benthic fauna responses remained unclear due to data gaps, underscoring the need for further research. In conclusion, our findings reveal widespread biological change linked to climate but with distinct regional patterns in environmental drivers and associated responses across Greenland.

KW - Climate change

KW - Coastal marine ecosystems

KW - Environmental drivers

KW - Greenland

KW - Marine biota

KW - Regional dynamics

KW - Time series

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105003217508&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179443

DO - 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.179443

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 40280090

AN - SCOPUS:105003217508

SN - 0048-9697

VL - 979

JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

M1 - 179443

ER -

Climate change and its diverse regional impacts on Greenland's marine biota

Abstract

Keywords

Access to Document

Check availability with the Royal Danish Library

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this