Speaker
Description
Dust in the Arctic is an emerging topic related to ecosystem and climate impacts. The United Nations (UN) General Assembles and the UN Coalition to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have reiterated that the global frequency, intensity, and duration of Sand and Dust Storms (SDS) have increased in the last decade and that SDS have natural and human causes that can be exacerbated by desertification, land degradation, drought, biodiversity loss, and climate change. UNCCD and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have also highlighted that emerging SDS source areas have been associated with the warming of the Arctic and high latitude regions, the seasonal or permanent drying of inland waters and river deltas, or are following large-scale deforestation and wildfires, or even the ploughing of a single field. Loss of snow cover, retreat of glaciers, and increase in drought intensity due to climate change can lead to surface conditions that increase the likelihood of creation, continuation and expansion of SDS source areas. Here we give an overview of our recent understanding on dust emissions and their long-range transport routes, deposition, and ecosystem effects in the Arctic as presented in Meinander et al. (2025), special issue of the Arctic Council Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program/Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (AMAP/CAFF). Dust plays a significant role in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, e.g., by providing nutrients, and with impacts on the availability of light and water.
Reference: Meinander O, Uppstu A, Dagsson-Waldhauserova P, Groot Zwaaftink C, Juncher Jørgensen C, Baklanov A, Kristensson A, Massling A and Sofiev M (2025). Dust in the arctic: a brief review of feedbacks and interactions between climate change, aeolian dust and ecosystems. Front. Environ. Sci. Sec. Interdisciplinary Climate Studies, Volume 13 – 2025. doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1536395.
| Are you participating to the "AnaEE Environmental Rising Star Award "? | No |
|---|