Articles | Volume 23, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3023-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-3023-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
06 May 2026
Research article |
| 06 May 2026
| 06 May 2026
Vertebrate impact on bacterial community structure of coastal Arctic spring snowpacks
Sławomir Sułowicz
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
University of Silesia, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Jagiellońska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland
Krzysztof Zawierucha
Adam Mickiewicz University, Faculty of Biology, Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Antarctic Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Adolfa Pawińskiego 5a, 02-106 Warszawa, Poland
Anna Markowicz
University of Silesia, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, Jagiellońska 28, 40-032 Katowice, Poland
Krystyna Kozioł
The Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Department of Environmental Change and Geochemistry, Kościeleckich Sq. 8, 85-033 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Wiktoria Zientak
The Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Department of Environmental Change and Geochemistry, Kościeleckich Sq. 8, 85-033 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Adam Nawrot
Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Księcia Janusza 64, 01-452 Warsaw, Poland
Krzesimir Tomaszewski
Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Księcia Janusza 64, 01-452 Warsaw, Poland
Christoph Keuschnig
Interface Geochemistry, GFZ Helmholtz Center for Geosciences, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
Bartłomiej Luks
Institute of Geophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Księcia Janusza 64, 01-452 Warsaw, Poland
Catherine Larose
Institut des Géosciences de l'Environnement (IGE) CNRS, UGA, IRD, INRAE, Grenoble INP, 38058, Grenoble CEDEX, France and Section for Genetics and Evolutionary Biology (Evogene), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Elsa Abs, Christoph Keuschnig, Pierre Amato, Chris Bowler, Eric Capo, Alexander B. Chase, Luciana Chavez Rodriguez, Abraham N. Dabengwa, Thomas Dussarrat, Thomas Guzman, Linnea K. Hernandez, Jenni Hultman, Kirsten Küsel, Zhen Li, Anna Mankowski, William J. Riley, Scott R. Saleska, and Lisa Wingate
Biogeosciences, 23, 5205–5237, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5205-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-5205-2026, 2026
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Meta-omics technologies offer new tools to understand how microbial and plant functional diversity shape biogeochemical cycles across ecosystems. This perspective explores how integrating omics data with ecological and modeling approaches can improve our understanding of greenhouse gas fluxes and nutrient dynamics, from soils to clouds, and from the past to the future. We highlight challenges and opportunities for scaling omics insights from local processes to Earth system models.
Anastasiia Kosolapova, Romain Castro, Ferran Romero, Catherine Larose, and Ianina Altshuler
The Cryosphere, 20, 3959–3975, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3959-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-3959-2026, 2026
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Seasonal snow acts as a dynamic medium, accumulating atmospheric particles and microorganisms, creating unique microbial habitats in alpine environments. At the local scale, snow depth, not valley location, mainly drives chemical composition and bacterial community structure, while elevation predicts community differences across sites. Diversity drops within just 10–15 cm depth, reflecting distinct atmospheric sources and rapid post-depositional selection at centimetre scales.
Jakub Buda, Edyta Łokas, Sylwia Błażej, Roberto Ambrosini, Kinga Buda, Riccardo Scotti, Krzysztof Gorzkiewicz, Ronald Łaniecki, Artur Trzebny, Francesca Pittino, Olena Nahimova, Arianna Crosta, Michał Bończyk, Krzysztof Samolej, Andrea Franzetti, and Krzysztof Zawierucha
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4043, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-4043, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Biogeosciences (BG).
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We investigated whether natural and anthropogenic radioisotopes influence microbial life on Alpine glaciers. Using extensive field sampling across Alpine glaciers, we found that higher environmental radioactivity is associated with lower microbial diversity and reduced activity, while key ecosystem functions remain largely maintained despite structural simplification. Our findings identify environmental radioactivity as a previously overlooked factor shaping remote glacier ecosystems.
Dzmitry Lukashanets, Krzysztof Zawierucha, Jolita Petkuvienė, Donata Overlingė, Diana Vaičiūtė, Greta Kalvaitienė, and Marija Kataržytė
Biogeosciences, 23, 4199–4212, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4199-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4199-2026, 2026
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Seasonal snow patches in lowland forests may look lifeless, but they host diverse microscopic animals. Studying 40 sites in the Baltic States, we found that rotifers, tardigrades and nematodes dominate these short-lived habitats, sometimes reaching very high numbers. Their presence depends strongly on surrounding trees, which supply organic matter to the snow. These overlooked cryospheric ecosystems deserve attention in a warming climate.
Lisa Ardoin, Catherine Larose, Jean-Louis Tison, Christoph Keuschnig, Vasileios Gkinis, Saïda El Amri, Pierre-Henry Blard, Paul Bierman, Thomas Blunier, Dorthe Dahl-Jensen, Charlotte Maistriau, Jørgen-Peder Steffensen, Thomas Röckmann, and François Fripiat
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6204, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-6204, 2026
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We investigated gas dynamics at the ice–bed interface of two Greenland ice cores to assess methane and carbon dioxide behaviour beneath ice sheets. At Camp Century, methane diffuses into the ice and is partly oxidized. At GRIP, methane remains preserved despite oxygen. These contrasts suggest that methane oxidation is controlled by local basal conditions, including ice thickness and substrate availability.
Małgorzata Błaszczyk, Bartłomiej Luks, Michał Pętlicki, Dariusz Puczko, Dariusz Ignatiuk, Michał Laska, Jacek Jania, and Piotr Głowacki
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 16, 1847–1860, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1847-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-16-1847-2024, 2024
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Understanding the glacier response to accelerated climate warming in the Arctic requires data obtained in the field. Here, we present a dataset of velocity measurements of Hansbreen, a tidewater glacier in Svalbard. The glacier's velocity was measured with GPS at 16 stakes mounted on the glacier's surface. The measurements were conducted from about 1 week to about 1 month. The dataset offers unique material for validating numerical models of glacier dynamics and satellite-derived products.
Andrea Spolaor, Federico Scoto, Catherine Larose, Elena Barbaro, Francois Burgay, Mats P. Bjorkman, David Cappelletti, Federico Dallo, Fabrizio de Blasi, Dmitry Divine, Giuliano Dreossi, Jacopo Gabrieli, Elisabeth Isaksson, Jack Kohler, Tonu Martma, Louise S. Schmidt, Thomas V. Schuler, Barbara Stenni, Clara Turetta, Bartłomiej Luks, Mathieu Casado, and Jean-Charles Gallet
The Cryosphere, 18, 307–320, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024, 2024
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We evaluate the impact of the increased snowmelt on the preservation of the oxygen isotope (δ18O) signal in firn records recovered from the top of the Holtedahlfonna ice field located in the Svalbard archipelago. Thanks to a multidisciplinary approach we demonstrate a progressive deterioration of the isotope signal in the firn core. We link the degradation of the δ18O signal to the increased occurrence and intensity of melt events associated with the rapid warming occurring in the archipelago.
Tereza Novotná Jaroměřská, Roberto Ambrosini, Dorota Richter, Miroslawa Pietryka, Przemyslaw Niedzielski, Juliana Souza-Kasprzyk, Piotr Klimaszyk, Andrea Franzetti, Francesca Pittino, Lenka Vondrovicová, Tyler Kohler, and Krzysztof Zawierucha
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-198, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2022-198, 2022
Preprint withdrawn
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Changes in the composition and biomass of photoautotrophs and consumers on glacier indicated phenological or ecological controls over their communities. We demonstrated that the recognition of the community structure of cryoconite holes requires a broad-scale and seasonal approach since biological communities vary in time and space on the glacier surface.
Outi Meinander, Pavla Dagsson-Waldhauserova, Pavel Amosov, Elena Aseyeva, Cliff Atkins, Alexander Baklanov, Clarissa Baldo, Sarah L. Barr, Barbara Barzycka, Liane G. Benning, Bojan Cvetkovic, Polina Enchilik, Denis Frolov, Santiago Gassó, Konrad Kandler, Nikolay Kasimov, Jan Kavan, James King, Tatyana Koroleva, Viktoria Krupskaya, Markku Kulmala, Monika Kusiak, Hanna K. Lappalainen, Michał Laska, Jerome Lasne, Marek Lewandowski, Bartłomiej Luks, James B. McQuaid, Beatrice Moroni, Benjamin Murray, Ottmar Möhler, Adam Nawrot, Slobodan Nickovic, Norman T. O’Neill, Goran Pejanovic, Olga Popovicheva, Keyvan Ranjbar, Manolis Romanias, Olga Samonova, Alberto Sanchez-Marroquin, Kerstin Schepanski, Ivan Semenkov, Anna Sharapova, Elena Shevnina, Zongbo Shi, Mikhail Sofiev, Frédéric Thevenet, Throstur Thorsteinsson, Mikhail Timofeev, Nsikanabasi Silas Umo, Andreas Uppstu, Darya Urupina, György Varga, Tomasz Werner, Olafur Arnalds, and Ana Vukovic Vimic
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 22, 11889–11930, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11889-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-22-11889-2022, 2022
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High-latitude dust (HLD) is a short-lived climate forcer, air pollutant, and nutrient source. Our results suggest a northern HLD belt at 50–58° N in Eurasia and 50–55° N in Canada and at >60° N in Eurasia and >58° N in Canada. Our addition to the previously identified global dust belt (GDB) provides crucially needed information on the extent of active HLD sources with both direct and indirect impacts on climate and environment in remote regions, which are often poorly understood and predicted.
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Short summary
Our research shows that animals such as birds and mammals shaping the bacteria community structure found in Arctic snow. By analyzing snow samples from coastal Spitsbergen, we found that microbes linked to animal waste were common and influenced the types of bacteria present. This suggests that wildlife, not just wind or air, helps bring microbes into snow. Understanding this helps us better predict how Arctic ecosystems respond to environmental change and how life adapts in extreme conditions.
Our research shows that animals such as birds and mammals shaping the bacteria community...
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