Freshwater biodiversity in a rapidly changing Arctic: An expert horizon scan of key research questions

Arctic freshwater biodiversity is rapidly changing due to climate warming, resource extraction, infrastructure development, and landscape transformation. To improve understanding, predict future responses, and inform policy formulation, research needs must be clearly identified. Using a horizon scan survey, Arctic freshwater experts from government, international agencies, and Indigenous Peoples identified 77 biodiversity research questions with 17 highlighted as most important for near term assessment. These questions span nine thematic categories: biodiversity and taxonomic challenges, hydrological change, productivity and food webs, ecosystem connectivity, methods, monitoring and assessment, permafrost change, winter ecology, anthropogenic development, and Indigenous Knowledge. Climate change emerged as the major driver among all categories and research questions. A key priority identified was the urgent need for long-term, harmonized monitoring programs among Arctic countries. Multiple knowledge gaps detected suggest that circumpolar research collaborations are required to tackle these issues.

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Publication Details

Journal
AMBIO
Published
2026-02-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-025-02331-5
Primary Topic
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Freshwater biodiversity in a rapidly changing Arctic: An expert horizon scan of key research questions

Louise Chavarie, Dermot Antoniades, Raoul‐Marie Couture, Marie‐Pier Hébert et al.
AMBIO
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
article

Freshwater biodiversity in a rapidly changing Arctic: An expert horizon scan of key research questions

Louise Chavarie, Dermot Antoniades, Raoul‐Marie Couture, Marie‐Pier Hébert, Antti P. Eloranta, Catherine Girard, Tero Mustonen, Tape Ken D., Dag O. Hessen, P. Marsh, Alison Margaret Derry, Camille A. Leblanc, Kimmo Kalevi Kahilainen, Jennifer Lento, Jasmine E. Saros, Jen Lam, Daniel I. Bolnick, Joseph M. Culp, Sanne Mariël Moedt, Frederick J. Wrona, André Frainer, Milla Rautio, Danielle SJ Nowosad, Danny C P Lau, Willem Goedkoop, Jordan Musetta-Lambert, Hanna-Kaisa Lakka, Anne D. Jungblut, John E. Brittain, Sally MacIntyre, Alexander Milner, Frederic Bouchard, Pär Byström, Michael Power, Kirsten S. Christoffersen, Ann Kristin Schartau, Guillaume Grosbois, Simon Belle, Fernando Chaguaceda, Mackenzie A. C. Martyniuk, Ian Hogg, Martin-A. Svenning, Janne Soininen
article en

Abstract

Arctic freshwater biodiversity is rapidly changing due to climate warming, resource extraction, infrastructure development, and landscape transformation. To improve understanding, predict future responses, and inform policy formulation, research needs must be clearly identified. Using a horizon scan survey, Arctic freshwater experts from government, international agencies, and Indigenous Peoples identified 77 biodiversity research questions with 17 highlighted as most important for near term assessment. These questions span nine thematic categories: biodiversity and taxonomic challenges, hydrological change, productivity and food webs, ecosystem connectivity, methods, monitoring and assessment, permafrost change, winter ecology, anthropogenic development, and Indigenous Knowledge. Climate change emerged as the major driver among all categories and research questions. A key priority identified was the urgent need for long-term, harmonized monitoring programs among Arctic countries. Multiple knowledge gaps detected suggest that circumpolar research collaborations are required to tackle these issues.

AMBIO
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (CA), University of New Brunswick (CA), University of Vermont (US), University of Copenhagen (DK), Natural History Museum (GB), University of Helsinki (FI), Environment and Climate Change Canada (CA), Université de Sherbrooke (CA), University of Connecticut (US), University of Alaska Fairbanks (US), University of Waterloo (CA), University of California, Santa Barbara (US), Université du Québec à Montréal (CA), University of Calgary (CA), University of Eastern Finland (FI), OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (NO), University of Oslo (NO), E Ink (South Korea) (KR), Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (CA), Hólar University College (IS), Queen's University (CA), Makivik Corporation (CA), Abisko Scientific Research Station (SE), Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (DK), Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SE), Arctic Nutrition (Norway) (NO), Center for Northern Studies (CA), IMDEA Water (ES), Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NO), The FRAM Centre (NO), Université Laval (CA), University of Waikato (NZ), Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NO), Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (CA), Neste Oil (Finland) (FI), Wilfrid Laurier University (CA), University of Maine (US), University of Birmingham (GB), University of Guelph (CA), University of Jyväskylä (FI)
Government of Canada, European Commission, Nordisk Ministerråd, International Arctic Science Committee, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Openalex Percentile: Top 46%
Indigenous Studies and Ecology
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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