Celebrating 20 years
Keeping watch on Arctic rivers In the early 2000s, analyses of long-term datasets revealed tantalizing clues about increasing flow in Arctic rivers related to climate change. However, a sparsity of measurements on pan-Arctic river chemistry hindered understanding of climate change impacts on ecosystem health. The Arctic Great Rivers Observatory (ArcticGRO) was created to bridge that gap and, by measuring chemistry in the six largest Arctic rivers every two months using identical methods, establish a critical monitoring baseline. The team comprises lead researchers from five institutions, including Woodwell Climate, and nearly a dozen essential international partners. The first samples were collected almost exactly twenty years ago, in June 2003. Since then, this unique international collaboration has analyzed nearly 600 samples each for dozens of chemical parameters; inspired more than 200 peer-reviewed publications; generated unparalleled—and unexpected—insights on Arctic ecosystems; and shaped paradigms which have helped to advance understanding of our changing planet. A synthesis of this unique dataset will be published later this year. photo by Scott Zolkos
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Climate Science for Change
Summer 2023
