Climate Change’s Ecological Impact on the Mackenzie Delta Region
18.05.2011 - Atmosphere & Space, Land & Geology, Ice & Snow, Flora & Fauna, Arctic
A Canadian multidisciplinary research team has discovered new evidence of the destructive impact of global climate change on North America’s largest Arctic delta, the Mackenzie Delta in Canada’s Northwest Territorries.
The findings, which were presented in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, identifies rising sea levels as "one of the most ominous threats of global warming." The threat, the scientists say, is particularly acute in the Polar Regions, where shrinking sea ice increases the risk of storm surges.
The team studied growth rings from coastal shrubs as well as lake sediments in the Mackenzie Delta region, which was struck by a destructive storm surge in 1999. The team discovered that more than half of the shrubs sampled were dead within a year of the 1999 surge, while an additional 37% died within five years. A decade after the flood, the soils in the delta region still contained high concentrations of salt and sediment core profiles from inland lakes, which indicates that there was a shift from fresh to salt-water species following the storm surge.
Because nearly all Arctic indigenous communities are located on the coast, future surges could also have significant social impacts. In the 21st century, the scientists predict sea ice cover, sea levels and the frequency and intensity of storms and marine storm surges will likely become more variable.
