Survival and divergence of Arctic endemic cod species during 50,000 years of climate change

Despite significant climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere ~50,000-12,000 years ago, the potential for vertebrates to periodically thrive in the glacial Arctic Ocean has been largely overlooked because ecosystem productivity was assumed to be too low. Here, we analyze fish otoliths preserved in deep-sea sediments and find that two Arctic endemic cod species, ice cod (Arctogadus glacialis) and polar cod (Boreogadus saida), lived at 87-89 °N ~ 48,000-35,000 years ago and reappeared at the onset of the Holocene ~12,000 years ago. A. glacialis also occurred north of Greenland at 84-85 °N ~ 20,000 years ago, during the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting the presence of refugia that enabled survival and divergence from B. saida under the harshest climate conditions. These findings suggest that the glacial Arctic Ocean was not a barren ice desert but rather a breeding ground for the evolution of cold adaptation in marine fish.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Nature Communications
Published
2026-10-16
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78810-4
Primary Topic
Marine and fisheries research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Survival and divergence of Arctic endemic cod species during 50,000 years of climate change

Flor Vermassen, Claudia Morys, Helen K. Coxall, Jutta Erika Wollenburg et al.
Nature Communications
Marine and fisheries research
article

Survival and divergence of Arctic endemic cod species during 50,000 years of climate change

Flor Vermassen, Claudia Morys, Helen K. Coxall, Jutta Erika Wollenburg, Kim Vane, Pauline Snoeijs, Hauke Flores, Hendrik Grotheer, Nicole Hildebrandt, Julek Chawarski
article en

Abstract

Despite significant climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere ~50,000-12,000 years ago, the potential for vertebrates to periodically thrive in the glacial Arctic Ocean has been largely overlooked because ecosystem productivity was assumed to be too low. Here, we analyze fish otoliths preserved in deep-sea sediments and find that two Arctic endemic cod species, ice cod (Arctogadus glacialis) and polar cod (Boreogadus saida), lived at 87-89 °N ~ 48,000-35,000 years ago and reappeared at the onset of the Holocene ~12,000 years ago. A. glacialis also occurred north of Greenland at 84-85 °N ~ 20,000 years ago, during the peak of the Last Glacial Maximum, suggesting the presence of refugia that enabled survival and divergence from B. saida under the harshest climate conditions. These findings suggest that the glacial Arctic Ocean was not a barren ice desert but rather a breeding ground for the evolution of cold adaptation in marine fish.

Nature CommunicationsVol. 17(1)
Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung (DE), Stockholm University (SE), University of Bremen (DE), ASL Environmental Sciences (Canada) (CA), Bolin Centre for Climate Research (SE)
Polarforskningssekretariatet, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Svenska Forskningsrådet Formas, Vetenskapsrådet, Stockholms Universitet, Helmholtz Association, European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
Life below water, Climate action
Openalex Percentile: Top 16%
Marine and fisheries research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.