Addressing Global Change in Northern Environments

Humans are accelerating global change, and the effects are especially affecting northern environments, which are warming at an alarming rate. This theme issue explores the changes and challenges northern environments face during this age of change.

It presents three research articles and four discussion pieces. Maliniemi et al. highlight a multidecadal ecological shift in northern boreal forests: the decline of lichens and the expansion of dwarf shrubs. Kasprzak explore extreme events in Wedel-Jarlsberg Land in Svalbard and present two landforms that originated from them. Watson and Hubbard examine the causes and consequences of global sea level rise and project three scenarios to local flood projections in the Morecombe Bay area in the UK.

In the discussion pieces, Varnajot and Lépy reflect on their experiences from a ship-based fieldwork on an expedition cruise ship to the geographic North Pole. Alahuhta et al. discuss about the importance of freshwater plants for ecosystem stability, water quality and carbon cycling, while their responses to environmental change are lacking research efforts. Tukiainen and Toivanen present an introduction to geodiversity through the example case of Rokua UNESCO Global Geopark in northern Finland.