Long-Term Monitoring in the Netherlands Suggests that Lichens Respond to Global Warming

2002 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. van Herk ◽  
A. Aptroot ◽  
H. F. van Dobben
Keyword(s):  
Global Warming ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Tropical Species ◽  
Epiphytic Lichen ◽  
Nutrient Demand ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring ◽  
Lichen Flora

AbstractThere is evidence to suggest that part of the recent changes in the lichen flora of the Netherlands is attributable to an increase in temperature. Changes which have occurred over the last 22 years were studied in detail, and were subjected to a statistical treatment by comparing the change of species to their latitudinal distribution and to ecological determinants.All 329 epiphytic and terrestrial lichen species occurring in the Netherlands were considered in relation to their world distribution. Arctic-alpine/boreo-montane species appear to be declining, while (sub)tropical species are invading. The proportion of increasing species is by far the largest among the wide-tropical lichens (83%), and smallest among the arctic-alpine/boreo-montane lichens (14%). None of the wide-tropical species was found to decrease, while 50% of the arctic-alpine/boreomontane species show a decline.Long-term monitoring of the epiphytic lichen flora in the province of Utrecht from 1979 onwards shows that the total number of taxa present increased from 95 in 1979 to 172 in 2001, while the average number of taxa per site increased from 7·5 to 18·9. The rate of increase was greatest by far between 1989 and 1995. The majority of the species (152 taxa or 85%) show a gross increase, only 17 species (10%) show a decrease.A detailed analysis of these data using multiple regression suggests global warming as an additional cause for recent changes, next to decreasing SO⊂2 and increasing NH⊂3. Changes appear to be correlated initially (1979-1995) only with toxitolerance and nutrient demand. Changes between 1995 and 2001, however, appear positively correlated to both temperature and nutrient demand, indicating a recent and significant shift towards species preferring warm circumstances, independent from, and concurrent with changes due to nutrient availability.This is the first paper reporting long-term floristic changes for lichens that appear to be correlated significantly with increasing temperatures. We suggest that future lichen monitoring programmes also pay attention to effects of climatic change, instead of focusing on air pollution effects only.

scholarly journals What is the most efficient and effective method for long-term monitoring of alpine tundra vegetation?

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 127-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven D. Mamet ◽  
Nathan Young ◽  
Kwok P. Chun ◽  
Jill F. Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Relative Abundance ◽  
Rare Species ◽  
Alpine Tundra ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Vegetation Monitoring ◽  
Tundra Vegetation ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

Nondestructive estimations of plant community characteristics are essential to vegetation monitoring programs. However, there is no universally accepted method for this purpose in the Arctic, partly because not all programs share the same logistical constraints and monitoring goals. Our aim was to determine the most efficient and effective method for long-term monitoring of alpine tundra vegetation. To achieve this, we established 12 vegetation-monitoring plots on a south-facing slope in the alpine tundra of southern Yukon Territory, Canada. Four observers assessed these plots for vascular plant species abundance employing three methods: visual cover (VC) and subplot frequency (SF) estimation and modified point-intercept (PI) (includes rare species present but not intersected by a pin). SF performed best in terms of time required per plot and sensitivity to variations in species richness. All methods were similarly poor at estimating relative abundance for rare species, but PI and VC were substantially better at high abundances. Differences among methods were larger than among observers. Our results suggest that SF is best when the monitoring focus is on rare species or species richness across extensive areas. However, when the focus is on monitoring changes in relative abundance of common species, VC or PI should be preferred.

scholarly journals The value of the terricolous lichen Cetrariella delisei in the biomonitoring of heavy−metal levels in Svalbard

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-382 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Węgrzyn ◽  
Maja Lisowska ◽  
Paweł Nicia
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metals ◽  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Lichen Species ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Metal Levels ◽  
Heavy Metal Deposition ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Terricolous Lichen ◽  
Term Monitoring

Abstract The aim of this study was to identify a suitable lichen species for the long−term monitoring of heavy−metal atmospheric pollution in Svalbard. Cladonia and Cetraria s.l. species that have been widely used until now for assessing heavy−metal deposition in the Arctic are in decline over extensive areas of Svalbard, mainly due to climate change and over−grazing by reindeer. Cetrariella delisei, rarely used for biomonitoring, is still common and widespread in this area. Levels of Cr, Ni, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and Mn were measured in three lichen species: Cetrariella delisei, Cladonia uncialis, Flavocetraria nivalis and in a moss Racomitrium lanuginosum from Sørkapp Land, South Spitsbergen. The results imply that Cetrariella delisei can be safely compared to Cladonia uncialis for identifying the levels of heavy metals, but direct comparison between Cetrariella delisei and other species studied is more difficult owing to differences in levels of heavy metals even in samples from the same site.

scholarly journals Review of plastic pollution policies of Arctic countries in relation to seabirds

FACETS ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-25
Author(s):  
Jannie F. Linnebjerg ◽  
Julia E. Baak ◽  
Tom Barry ◽  
Maria V. Gavrilo ◽  
Mark L. Mallory ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Monitoring Programs ◽  
Important Concern ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

Marine plastic is a ubiquitous environmental problem that can have an impact on a variety of marine biota, such as seabirds, making it an important concern for scientists and policy makers. Although research on plastic ingestion by seabirds is increasing, few studies have examined policies and long-term monitoring programs to reduce marine plastic in the Arctic. This paper provides a review of international, national, and regional policies and long-term monitoring programs that address marine plastic in relation to seabirds in the Arctic countries: Canada, the Kingdom of Denmark (Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, the Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. Results show that a broad range of international, national, regional and local policies address marine debris, specifically through waste management and the prevention of pollution from ships. However, few policies directly address seabirds and other marine biota. Further, policies are implemented inconsistently across regions, making it difficult to enforce and monitor the efficacy of these policies given the long-range transport of plastic pollution globally. To reduce marine plastic pollution in the Arctic environment, pan-Arctic and international collaboration is needed to implement standardized policies and long-term monitoring programs for marine plastic in the Arctic and worldwide.

Future Needs for Long-Term Monitoring Design

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara S. Minsker ◽  
Charles Davis ◽  
David Dougherty ◽  
Gus Williams
Keyword(s):  
Monitoring Design ◽  
Future Needs ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Term Monitoring

Investigations on potential methods for the long-term monitoring of the state of fuel elements in dry storage casks

Kerntechnik ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 83 (6) ◽  
pp. 513-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Hampel ◽  
A. Kratzsch ◽  
R. Rachamin ◽  
M. Wagner ◽  
S. Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The State ◽  
Dry Storage ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Potential Methods ◽  
Fuel Elements ◽  
Term Monitoring
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