Grazing by captive Barnacle geese affects graminoid growth and productivity on Svalbard

Migratory geese breed in Svalbard in summer and return to Western Europe for the winter, feeding on wetlands and agricultural fields. Recent changes in climate, land use and the implementation of protective measures dramatically improved the birds\u27 ability to survive the winter, increasing population sizes and thus the potential grazing impact on Svalbard. This study measured live leaf length and aboveground productivity of Alopecurus borealis and Dupontia fisheri, widespread forage grasses on Svalbard, in order to make a quantitative assessment of the short term effects of different intensities of goose grazing. In addition we wanted to establish whether warming could enhance graminoid growth and regenerative capacity of grazed grasses. We carried out a factorial experiment of grazing (control, normal and high grazing pressure) using captive wild barnacle geese and temperature manipulation using open top chambers (OTCs) in a mesic and wet habitat in Adventdalen, Svalbard (78°N , 16°E ), following the growth of individual tillers before grazing and up until 20 days after grazing. OTCs enhanced temperatures and growth rates for Alopecurus in the mesic habitat, but slightly decreased belowground temperatures and early season growth for Dupontia in the wet habitat. Grazing stimulated growth rates resulting in increased cumulative leaf length production. The strength of response was greater for Alopecurus than Dupontia. We suggest that nutrients released by goose faeces were taken up by Alopecurus thus enhancing their growth rates, but that the thick layer of mosses prevented the addition of faeces from benefitting Dupontia as much

CO2 and CH4 exchanges between moist moss tundra and atmosphere on Kapp Linne, Svalbard

We measured CO2 and CH4 fluxes using chambers and eddy covariance (only CO2) from a moist moss tundra in Svalbard. The average net ecosystem exchange (NEE) during the summer (9 June-31 August) was negative (sink), with -0.139 +/- 0.032 mu mol m(-2) s(-1) corresponding to -11.8 g C m(-2) for the whole summer. The cumulated NEE over the whole growing season (day no. 160 to 284) was -2.5 g C m(-2). The CH4 flux during the summer period showed a large spatial and temporal variability. The mean value of all 214 samples was 0.000511 +/- 0.000315 mu mol m(-2) s(-1), which corresponds to a growing season estimate of 0.04 to 0.16 g CH4 m(-2). Thus, we find that this moss tundra ecosystem is closely in balance with the atmosphere during the growing season when regarding exchanges of CO2 and CH4. The sink of CO2 and the source of CH4 are small in comparison with other tundra ecosystems in the high Arctic.Air temperature, soil moisture and the greenness index contributed significantly to explaining the variation in ecosystem respiration (R-eco), while active layer depth, soil moisture and the greenness index were the variables that best explained CH4 emissions. An estimate of temperature sensitivity of Reco and gross primary productivity (GPP) showed that the sensitivity is slightly higher for GPP than for R-eco in the interval 0-4.5 degrees C; thereafter, the difference is small up to about 6 degrees C and then begins to rise rapidly for R-eco. The consequence of this, for a small increase in air temperature of 1 degrees (all other variables assumed unchanged), was that the respiration increased more than photosynthesis turning the small sink into a small source (4.5 g C m(-2)) during the growing season. Thus, we cannot rule out that the reason why the moss tundra is close to balance today is an effect of the warming that has already taken place in Svalbard

The connectivity of spring stopover sites for geese heading to arctic breeding grounds

During the spring migration arctic-breeding geese pause in temperate and sub-arctic staging areas in order to deposit body reserves for breeding. Focusing on a single arctic stopover site in West-Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway (Varsol-bukta, 77 degrees 45'N, 14 degrees 24'E), behavioural strategies of Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis were investigated and body condition and presence of individually marked birds recorded. Individuals using different staging areas earlier along the migration route (Helgeland and Vesteralen on the Norwegian mainland) and heading to different breeding colonies (the close-by Nordenskioldkysten, and the distant Kongsfjorden) were compared during springs 2003-05. Birds in Vesteralen left the staging area earlier than those in Helgeland, and arrived earlier in Varsolbukta as well. In Varsolbukta, females gained body condition at a similar rate regardless of their colony affiliation, whereas males from Nordenskioldkysten exhibited a smaller overall increase in condition compared to males from Kongsfjorden. The Kongsfjorden birds stayed for a shorter period (average 2.8 days) than those from Nordenskioldkysten (average 4.0 days). Nordenskioldkysten birds frequently left Varsolbukta for short periods presumably visiting the breeding area in order to optimise nest initiation with respect to prevailing snow conditions. The date of final departure was also correlated with nest initiation date at Nordenskioldkysten. No such relationship for the Kongsfjorden birds was found. We suggest that the geese adopt a 'hopping' strategy, using a network of stopover sites in Svalbard during spring with a last stopover at a buffer area in the proximity to the breeding area. For this vulnerable population it is important to identify the sites forming the links in this chain, and to establish their function and utilisation by geese during the vital prebreeding period

Multiscale mapping of plant functional groups and plant traits in the High Arctic using field spectroscopy, UAV imagery and Sentinel-2A data

The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet, leading to rapid changes in species composition and plant functional trait variation. Landscape-level maps of vegetation composition and trait distributions are required to expand spatially-limited plot studies, overcome sampling biases associated with the most accessible research areas, and create baselines from which to monitor environmental change. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a low-cost method to generate high-resolution imagery and bridge the gap between fine-scale field studies and lower resolution satellite analyses. Here we used field spectroscopy data (400-2500 nm) and UAV multispectral imagery to test spectral methods of species identification and plant water and chemistry retrieval near Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Using the field spectroscopy data and Random Forest analysis, we were able to distinguish eight common High Arctic plant tundra species with 74% accuracy. Using partial least squares regression (PLSR), we were able to predict corresponding water, nitrogen, phosphorus and C:N values (r (2) = 0.61-0.88, RMSEmean = 12%-64%). We developed analogous models using UAV imagery (five bands: Blue, Green, Red, Red Edge and Near-Infrared) and scaled up the results across a 450 m long nutrient gradient located underneath a seabird colony. At the UAV level, we were able to map three plant functional groups (mosses, graminoids and dwarf shrubs) at 72% accuracy and generate maps of plant chemistry. Our maps show a clear marine-derived fertility gradient, mediated by geomorphology. We used the UAV results to explore two methods of upscaling plant water content to the wider landscape using Sentinel-2A imagery. Our results are pertinent for high resolution, low-cost mapping of the Arctic.Peer reviewe

Lava field evolution and emplacement dynamics of the 2014–2015 basaltic fissure eruption at Holuhraun, Iceland

The 6-month long eruption at Holuhraun (August 2014–February 2015) in the Bárðarbunga-Veiðivötn volcanic system was the largest effusive eruption in Iceland since the 1783–1784 CE Laki eruption. The lava flow field covered ~84 km2 and has an estimated bulk (i.e., including vesicles) volume of ~1.44 km3. The eruption had an average discharge rate of ~90 m3/s making it the longest effusive eruption in modern times to sustain such high average flux. The first phase of the eruption (August 31, 2014 to mid-October 2014) had a discharge rate of ~350 to 100 m3/s and was typified by lava transport via open channels and the formation of four lava flows, no. 1–4,which were emplaced side by side. The eruption began on a 1.8 km long fissure, feeding partly incandescent sheets of slabby pāhoehoe up to 500 m wide. By the following day the lava transport got confined to open channels and the dominant lava morphology changed to rubbly pāhoehoe and ‘a’ā. The latter became the dominating morphology of lava flows no. 1–8. The second phase of the eruption (Mid-October to end November) had a discharge of ~100–50 m3/s. During this time the lava transport system changed, via the formation of a b1 km2 lava pond ~1 km east of the vent. The pond most likely formed in a topographical low created by a the pre-existing Holuhraun and the newHoluhraun lava flow fields. This pond became themain point of lava distribution, controlling the emplacement of subsequent flows (i.e. no. 5–8). Towards the end of this phase inflation plateaus developed in lava flowno. 1. These inflation plateaus were the surface manifestation of a growing lava tube system, which formed as lava ponded in the open lava channels creating sufficient lavastatic pressure in the fluid lava to lift the roof of the lava channels. This allowed new lava into the previously active lava channel lifting the channel roof via inflation. The final (third) phase, lasting from December to end-February 2015 had a mean discharge rate of ~50 m3/s. In this phase the lava transport was mainly confined to lava tubes within lava flows no. 1–2, which fed breakouts that resurfaced N19 km2 of the flow field. The primary lava morphology from this phase was spiny pāhoehoe, which superimposed on the ‘a’ā lava flows no. 1–3 and extended the entire length of the flow field (i.e. 17 km). Thismade the 2014–2015 Holuhraun a paired flow field,where both lava morphologies had similar length. We suggest that the similar length is a consequence of the pāhoehoe is fed from the tube systemutilizing the existing ‘a’ā lava channels, and thereby are controlled by the initial length of the ‘a’ā flows.The work was financed with crisis response funding from the Icelandic Government along with European Community's Seventh Framework Programme Grant No. 308377 (Project FUTUREVOLC) and along with the Icelandic Research fund, Rannis, Grant of Excellence No. 152266-052 (Project EMMIRS). Furthermore, Vinur Vatnajökuls are thanked for support.Peer Reviewe

UPRIGHT, a resilience-based intervention to promote mental well-being in schools: study rationale and methodology for a European randomized controlled trial

Background: Adolescence is crucial period for laying the foundations for healthy development and mental wellbeing. The increasing prevalence of mental disorders amongst adolescents makes promotion of mental well-being and prevention interventions at schools important. UPRIGHT (Universal Preventive Resilience Intervention Globally implemented in schools to improve and promote mental Health for Teenagers) is designed as a whole school approach (school community, students and families) to promote a culture of mental well-being and prevent mental disorders by enhancing resilience capacities. The present article aims at describing the rationale, conceptual framework, as well as methodology of implementation and evaluation of the UPRIGHT intervention.Methods: UPRIGHT project is a research and innovation project funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 754919 (Duration: 48 months). The theoretical framework has been developed by an innovative and multidisciplinary approach using a co-creation process inside the UPRIGHT Consortium (involving seven institutions from Spain, Italy, Poland, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland). Resulted is the UPRIGHT programme with 18 skills related to 4 components: Mindfulness, Coping, Efficacy and Social and Emotional Learning. Among the five Pan-European regions, 34 schools have been currently involved (17 control; 17 intervention) and around 6000 adolescents and their families are foreseen to participate along a 3-year period of evaluation. Effectiveness of the intervention will be evaluated as a randomized controlled trial including quantitative and qualitative analysis in the five Pan-European regions representative of the cultural and socioeconomic diversity. The cost-effectiveness assessment will be performed by simulation modelling methods.Discussion: We expect a short- to medium-term improvement of mental well-being in adolescents by enhancing resilience capacities. The study may provide robust evidence on intrapersonal, familiar and social environmental resilience factors promoting positive mental well-being.Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03951376. Registered 15 May 2019

Circum-Arctic distribution of chemical anti-herbivore compounds suggests biome-wide trade-off in defence strategies in Arctic shrubs

Spatial variation in plant chemical defence towards herbivores can help us understand variation in herbivore top-down control of shrubs in the Arctic and possibly also shrub responses to global warming. Less defended, non-resinous shrubs could be more influenced by herbivores than more defended, resinous shrubs. However, sparse field measurements limit our current understanding of how much of the circum-Arctic variation in defence compounds is explained by taxa or defence functional groups (resinous/non-resinous). We measured circum-Arctic chemical defence and leaf digestibility in resinous (Betula glandulosa, B. nana ssp. exilis) and non-resinous (B. nana ssp. nana, B. pumila) shrub birches to see how they vary among and within taxa and functional groups. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) metabolomic analyses and in vitro leaf digestibility via incubation in cattle rumen fluid, we analysed defence composition and leaf digestibility in 128 samples from 44 tundra locations. We found biogeographical patterns in anti-herbivore defence where mean leaf triterpene concentrations and twig resin gland density were greater in resinous taxa and mean concentrations of condensing tannins were greater in non-resinous taxa. This indicates a biome-wide trade-off between triterpene- or tannin-dominated defences. However, we also found variations in chemical defence composition and resin gland density both within and among functional groups (resinous/non-resinous) and taxa, suggesting these categorisations only partly predict chemical herbivore defence. Complex tannins were the only defence compounds negatively related to in vitro digestibility, identifying this previously neglected tannin group as having a potential key role in birch anti-herbivore defence. We conclude that circum-Arctic variation in birch anti-herbivore defence can be partly derived from biogeographical distributions of birch taxa, although our detailed mapping of plant defence provides more information on this variation and can be used for better predictions of herbivore effects on Arctic vegetation

Global maps of soil temperature

Research in global change ecology relies heavily on global climatic grids derived from estimates of air temperature in open areas at around 2 m above the ground. These climatic grids do not reflect conditions below vegetation canopies and near the ground surface, where critical ecosystem functions occur and most terrestrial species reside. Here, we provide global maps of soil temperature and bioclimatic variables at a 1-km² resolution for 0–5 and 5–15 cm soil depth. These maps were created by calculating the difference (i.e., offset) between in-situ soil temperature measurements, based on time series from over 1200 1-km² pixels (summarized from 8500 unique temperature sensors) across all the world’s major terrestrial biomes, and coarse-grained air temperature estimates from ERA5-Land (an atmospheric reanalysis by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts). We show that mean annual soil temperature differs markedly from the corresponding gridded air temperature, by up to 10°C (mean = 3.0 ± 2.1°C), with substantial variation across biomes and seasons. Over the year, soils in cold and/or dry biomes are substantially warmer (+3.6 ± 2.3°C) than gridded air temperature, whereas soils in warm and humid environments are on average slightly cooler (-0.7 ± 2.3°C). The observed substantial and biome-specific offsets emphasize that the projected impacts of climate and climate change on near-surface biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are inaccurately assessed when air rather than soil temperature is used, especially in cold environments. The global soil-related bioclimatic variables provided here are an important step forward for any application in ecology and related disciplines. Nevertheless, we highlight the need to fill remaining geographic gaps by collecting more in-situ measurements of microclimate conditions to further enhance the spatiotemporal resolution of global soil temperature products for ecological applications

Incident type 2 diabetes attributable to suboptimal diet in 184 countries

The global burden of diet-attributable type 2 diabetes (T2D) is not well established. This risk assessment model estimated T2D incidence among adults attributable to direct and body weight-mediated effects of 11 dietary factors in 184 countries in 1990 and 2018. In 2018, suboptimal intake of these dietary factors was estimated to be attributable to 14.1 million (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 13.8–14.4 million) incident T2D cases, representing 70.3% (68.8–71.8%) of new cases globally. Largest T2D burdens were attributable to insufficient whole-grain intake (26.1% (25.0–27.1%)), excess refined rice and wheat intake (24.6% (22.3–27.2%)) and excess processed meat intake (20.3% (18.3–23.5%)). Across regions, highest proportional burdens were in central and eastern Europe and central Asia (85.6% (83.4–87.7%)) and Latin America and the Caribbean (81.8% (80.1–83.4%)); and lowest proportional burdens were in South Asia (55.4% (52.1–60.7%)). Proportions of diet-attributable T2D were generally larger in men than in women and were inversely correlated with age. Diet-attributable T2D was generally larger among urban versus rural residents and higher versus lower educated individuals, except in high-income countries, central and eastern Europe and central Asia, where burdens were larger in rural residents and in lower educated individuals. Compared with 1990, global diet-attributable T2D increased by 2.6 absolute percentage points (8.6 million more cases) in 2018, with variation in these trends by world region and dietary factor. These findings inform nutritional priorities and clinical and public health planning to improve dietary quality and reduce T2D globally.publishedVersio

Children’s and adolescents’ rising animal-source food intakes in 1990–2018 were impacted by age, region, parental education and urbanicity

Animal-source foods (ASF) provide nutrition for children and adolescents’ physical and cognitive development. Here, we use data from the Global Dietary Database and Bayesian hierarchical models to quantify global, regional and national ASF intakes between 1990 and 2018 by age group across 185 countries, representing 93% of the world’s child population. Mean ASF intake was 1.9 servings per day, representing 16% of children consuming at least three daily servings. Intake was similar between boys and girls, but higher among urban children with educated parents. Consumption varied by age from 0.6 at <1 year to 2.5 servings per day at 15–19 years. Between 1990 and 2018, mean ASF intake increased by 0.5 servings per week, with increases in all regions except sub-Saharan Africa. In 2018, total ASF consumption was highest in Russia, Brazil, Mexico and Turkey, and lowest in Uganda, India, Kenya and Bangladesh. These findings can inform policy to address malnutrition through targeted ASF consumption programmes.publishedVersio