Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response

Abstract

The average air temperature at the Earth's surface has increased by 0.06 °C per decade during the 20th century1, and by 0.19 °C per decade from 1979 to 19982. Climate models generally predict amplified warming in polar regions3,4, as observed in Antarctica's peninsula region over the second half of the 20th century5,6,7,8,9. Although previous reports suggest slight recent continental warming9,10, our spatial analysis of Antarctic meteorological data demonstrates a net cooling on the Antarctic continent between 1966 and 2000, particularly during summer and autumn. The McMurdo Dry Valleys have cooled by 0.7 °C per decade between 1986 and 2000, with similar pronounced seasonal trends. Summer cooling is particularly important to Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems that are poised at the interface of ice and water. Here we present data from the dry valleys representing evidence of rapid terrestrial ecosystem response to climate cooling in Antarctica, including decreased primary productivity of lakes (6–9% per year) and declining numbers of soil invertebrates (more than 10% per year). Continental Antarctic cooling, especially the seasonality of cooling, poses challenges to models of climate and ecosystem change.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1: Meteorological and ecosystem changes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, 1986–2000.
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Houghton, J. T. et al. (eds) Climate Change 2001: The Scientific Basis. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 2001)

  2. National Research Council Reconciling Observations of Global Temperature Change (National Academy Press, Washington DC, 2000)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Chen, C. T. A. & Drake, E. T. Carbon dioxide increase in the atmosphere and oceans and possible effects on climate. Annu. Rev. Earth Planet. Sci. 14, 201–235 (1986)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Cattle, H. & Crossley, J. Modeling arctic climate change. Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 352, 201–213 (1995)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Weller, G. Regional impacts of climate change in the Arctic and Antarctic. Ann. Glaciol. 27, 543–552 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  6. Vaughan, D. G. & Doake, C. S. M. Recent atmospheric warming and retreat of ice shelves on the Antarctic Peninsula. Nature 379, 328–331 (1996)

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Comiso, J. C. Variability and trends in Antarctic surface temperatures from in situ and satellite infrared measurements. J. Clim. 13, 1674–1696 (2000)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  8. Smith, R. C. et al. Marine ecosystem sensitivity to climate change. BioScience 49, 393–404 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Vaughan, D. G. et al. Devil in the detail. Science 293, 1777–1779 (2001)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Jacka, T. H. & Budd, W. F. Detection of temperature and sea-ice-extent changes in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean 1949–96. Ann. Glaciol. 27, 553–559 (1998)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  11. Riordan, A. J. in Climate of the Arctic (eds Weller, G. & Bowling, S. A.) 268–275 (Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, 1973)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Bromley, A. M. Weather Observations, Wright Valley Antarctica Information Publication no. 11 (New Zealand Meteorological Service, Wellington, 1985)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Clow, G. D., McKay, C. P., Simmons, G. M. Jr & Wharton, R. A. Jr Climatological observations and predicted sublimation rates at Lake Hoare. Antarct. J. Clim. 1, 715–728 (1988)

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. McKay, C. P., Nienow, J. A., Meyer, M. A. & Friedmann, E. I. in Antarctic Meteorology and Climatology: Studies Based on Automatic Weather Stations Antarctic Research Series 61 (eds Bromwich, D. H. & Stearns, C. R.) 201–207 (American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, 1993)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Freckman, D. W. & Virginia, R. A. Low-diversity Antarctic soil nematode communities: distribution and response to disturbance. Ecology 78, 363–369 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Doran, P. T. et al. Climate observations (1986–2000) from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. J. Clim. (submitted).

  17. Bromwich, D. H. & Parish, T. R. (eds) Antarctica: Barometer of Climate Change Report of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Meteorology Working Group (National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia, 1998).

  18. Parish, T. R. & Cassano, J. J. Forcing of the wintertime Antarctic boundary layer winds from the NCEP-NCAR global reanalysis. J. Appl. Meteorol. 40, 810–821 (2001)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  19. Wharton, R. A. et al. Changes in ice cover thickness and lake level of Lake Hoare, Antarctica—implications for local climatic change. J. Geophys. Res. 97, 3503–3513 (1993)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  20. Fountain, A. G. et al. Physical controls on the Taylor Valley ecosystem, Antarctica. BioScience 49, 961–971 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Chinn, T. J. in Physical and Biogeochemical Processes in Antarctic Lakes Antarctic Research Series 59 (eds Green, W. J. & Friedmann, E. I.) 1–51 (American Geophysical Union, Washington DC, 1993)

    Google Scholar 

  22. McKnight, D. M. et al. Dry valley streams in Antarctica: ecosystems waiting for water. BioScience 49, 985–995 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Priscu, J. C. et al. Carbon transformations in a perennially ice-covered Antarctic lake. BioScience 49, 997–1008 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Priscu, J. C. Phytoplankton nutrient deficiency in lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica. Freshwat. Biol. 34, 215–227 (1995)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Virginia, R. A. & Wall, D. H. How soils structure communities in the Antarctic dry valleys. BioScience 49, 973–983 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Doran, P. T., Dana, G., Hastings, J. T. & Wharton, R. A. The McMurdo LTER automatic weather network (LAWN). Antarct. J. US 30, 276–280 (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Powers, L. E., Ho, M., Freckman, D. W. & Virginia, R. A. Distribution, community structure, and microhabitats of soil invertebrates along an elevational gradient in Taylor Valley, Antarctica. Arct. Alpine Res. 30, 133–141 (1998)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Jones, P. D. et al. Surface air temperature and its changes over the past 150 years. Rev. Geophys. 37, 173–199 (1999)

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  29. Porazinska, D. L., Wall, D. H. & Virginia, R. A. Spatial and temporal variation in nematode populations over a six-year period in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antartica. Arctic Antarct. Alp. Res. (in the press).

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank the personnel associated with the McMurdo Long Term Ecological Research site who contributed to the collection of data. T. Chinn provided the three earliest data points on the lake level plot. W. Chapman assisted with the compilation of the continental figures. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs, the United States Geological Survey, and the NASA Exobiology Program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peter T. Doran.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Doran, P., Priscu, J., Lyons, W. et al. Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response. Nature 415, 517–520 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature710

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature710

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing