The Arctic has warmed four times faster than the global average. In addition to warming, climate change alters precipitation patterns. Consequently, the amounts of nutrients and suspended solids draining from catchments to waterbodies will increase. Arctic freshwaters are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems in terms of biodiversity. Microbes, organisms invisible to the naked eye, are still relatively poorly known in these waters. Microbes include, for example, specific algae, bacteria and fungi. This research reveals how microbial species and their functions, which are related to carbon and nutrient cycling, photosynthesis and decomposition, among others, vary with climatic conditions, simultaneously acknowledging local environmental factors and catchment properties within the Circum-Arctic region. The results will show how microbial species and their functions have already changed, and how they will further change due to climate change.

2026

2029