Understanding how past climate variability and human activity shaped northern European landscapes is essential for interpreting present-day environmental change. However, high-resolution Holocene records that capture both climatic and anthropogenic signals in small lake catchments remain relatively scarce in the eastern Baltic region. This study addresses that gap by reconstructing Holocene climate and environmental dynamics from the sedimentary material of Lake Pangodi, a semi-closed basin in southern Estonia. We present a multi-proxy reconstruction of Holocene climate and environmental change based on stable isotope geochemistry, sedimentology, pollen, and chironomid records. Stable isotope data document abrupt environmental changes that coincide with regionally recognized early-middle and middle-late Holocene transitions in northern Europe. The early Holocene (similar to 11,700-8200 cal a BP) was characterized by relatively wet conditions and elevated terrigenous sediment influx. This was followed by a drier and more stable middle Holocene (8200-4200 cal a BP) and a more variable late Holocene (4200 cal a BP-present). Chironomid-inferred temperatures indicate warming during the early Holocene and relatively stable warm season temperatures thereafter. Pollen data reveal transitions from early boreal dominance to temperate forest expansion beginning around 8800 cal a BP, followed by a return to more boreal-dominated assemblages after similar to 4800 cal a BP. Increased crop pollen after similar to 850 cal a BP indicates growing human influence on the landscape. These shifts align with regional vegetation chronozones and reflect both climatic and anthropogenic drivers. An abrupt shift to the highest sediment flux at similar to 4200 cal a BP coincides with the transition to the late Holocene, suggesting a regional environmental reorganization that was likely linked to both climatic and landscape changes, including increased hydrological variability and land surface instability.

The Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD), covering similar to 75,000 km(2) of Alaska's discontinuous permafrost zone, has a historic (1902-2023) mean annual air temperature of similar to-1 degrees C and was previously thought to lack ice wedge networks. However, our recent investigations near Bethel, Alaska, revealed numerous near-surface ice wedges. Using 20 cm resolution aerial orthoimagery from 2018, we identified similar to 50 linear km of ice wedge troughs in a 60 km(2) study area. Fieldwork in 2023 and 2024 confirmed ice wedges up to similar to 1.5 m wide and similar to 2.5 m in vertical extent, situated on average 0.9 m below the tundra surface (n = 29). Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) detected additional ice wedges beyond those visible in the remote sensing imagery, suggesting an underestimation of their true abundance. Coring of polygonal centers revealed late-Quaternary deposits, including thick early Holocene peat, late-Pleistocene ice-rich silts (reworked Yedoma), charcoal layers from tundra fires, and the Aniakchak CFE II tephra (similar to 3600 cal yrs BP). Stable water isotopes from Bethel's wedge ice (mean delta O-18 = -15.7 parts per thousand, delta H-2 = -113.1 parts per thousand) indicate a relatively enriched signature compared to other Holocene ice wedges in Alaska, likely due to warmer temperatures and maritime influences. Expanding our mapping across the YKD using high-resolution satellite imagery from 2012 to 2024, we estimate that the Holocene ice wedge zone encompasses similar to 30% of the YKD tundra region. Our findings demonstrate that ice wedge networks are more widespread across the YKD than previously recognized, emphasizing both the resilience and vulnerability of the region's warm, ice-rich permafrost. These insights are crucial for understanding permafrost responses to climate change and assessing agricultural potential and development in the region.

Greenland's ongoing deglaciation and thawing permafrost, accompanied by an increase in ice sheet freshwater discharge and nutrient export, are significantly impacting the surrounding fjords and marine ecosystems. Understanding the geochemical linkages between ice, land, and marine environments is crucial for comprehending the effects of amplified cryosphere‐biosphere interactions on marine ecosystems. To assess dissolved organic carbon (DOC) geochemistry along Greenland's west coast, we characterized and collected water samples at twelve near‐shore stations, at depths of 5 and 50 m, in four key areas: Nuuk, Davis Strait, Disko Bay, and the Uummannaq fjord system, focusing on DOC as it represents the largest pool of organic carbon in the ocean. Analysis of DOC concentration, molecular composition, 13 C, and 14 C alongside measurements of water temperature, salinity, and stable isotopic composition, revealed that: (a) water masses were predominantly ocean water, albeit with substantial freshwater components, particularly in the most glaciated region. (b) DOC ages range from approximately 1,589 to 2,450 cal BP. (c) Despite exhibiting the greatest freshening, the Uummannaq fjord system surprisingly contained the oldest DOC among all sites. This unexpected observation is postulated to be linked to inputs of ancient carbon from discharge from marine‐terminating glaciers. Our findings underscore the potential influence of spatially heterogeneous inputs of new terrestrial sources of DOC, particularly ancient permafrost‐derived carbon, to the Arctic carbon cycle especially as glacial melt intensifies in the future. Furthermore, our study provides valuable insights into the age and composition of DOC exported from west Greenland into the adjoining marine system.

Transitions periods between seasons in the Arctic are phases when the atmosphere-sea ice-ocean interactions are heightened, especially during these periods of exceptional warming. These transition periods may be accompanied by shifts in atmospheric transport patterns, the distribution of sea ice and extreme events, such as atmospheric rivers. Atmospheric Rivers may act as accelerants of sea ice melt and its redistribution, leading to spatial complexity in ice-ocean-atmosphere exchanges of mass and energy.As part of an interdisciplinary team aboard the I/B Oden from early May to mid-June, four main water isotope measurement packages were collected to maximize collaborations and to resolve nuisances of the Arctic System throughout the cruise track between Svalbard and NE Greenland (Figure 1). First, in order to delineate longitudinal distribution of the warm and salty W Svalbard current compared to the cold and fresh E Greenland current, we continuously measured the near surface water δ18O, δ2H and d-excess values. Second, in order to source water vapor and moisture sources from the warm, moist, and isotopically enriched subpolar & N Atlantic, compared to cold, dry and isotopically depleted Arctic air, we also continuously measured the δ18O, δ2H and d-excess values of water vapor collected from the ship’s, bow-mounted, eddy covariance tower. Third, in order to understand the horizontal and altitudinal patterns of water vapor parcels that surround the ship; in-situ water vapor isotopes were measured during fHeliPod flight lines that extended up to 30 km N-S-E-W of the Oden and from ~ 50 m above the sea ice and open water to over 2k in altitude. Fourth, in order to delineate the source of moisture (sea water vs. meteoric water) throughout the sea ice core profiles and the patterns and sources of moisture in the snow pack profiles; ice cores and snow pits were collected (drilled) and dug at ~10 different locations and water isotope samples were analyzed for δ18O, δ2H and d-excess values back in the laboratory.Four major discoveries will be presented: A) mixing of the surface W Svalbard and NE Greenland current is found to be farther east than previously reported and the surface water masses may differ by up to 5 ‰ δ18O during spring; B) water vapor isotopes responded at hourly time scales as moisture sources during Atmospheric River events begin with northward fluxes of warm, moist air masses but passing cyclones deliver N-S cold-dry, isotopically depleted water vapor in extreme Arctic-sourced storm events lasting a day or more; C) Horizontal and vertical transects during Heliopod flights captured horizontal and altitudinal variation in water vapor isotopes during periods when the weather of the ship was dominated by cold-dry Arctic air, interrupted by periods when the ship was experiencing pulses of warm, moist, and high humidity conditions; D) ice cores and snow packs exhibit vertical isotopic variation indicative of different moisture sources and morphogenesis processes.

A 25-year record from the United States Network for Isotopes in Precipitation (USNIP) using data from seventy-three sampling sites reveals the dynamic role of moisture sources and storm tracks in controlling the precipitation geochemistry at a continental scale. Our study provides a fresh perspective on processes governing the water isotope cycle beyond the classic role of temperature. We report that Climate Oscillations (COs) combine to influence synoptic climatology and atmospheric transport patterns, thereby driving spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation 18O, 2H and d-excess values. The relationship between the individual COs and the isotopic composition of precipitation is spatially, temporally, and geographically inconsistent with varying time periods of linear (positive/negative), non-linear, or no coherence. The interactions between COs drive variations in isotope fractionation associated with evaporation (moisture source dynamics) and transport (storm track pathways and degree of rainout) of moisture. These are mirrored in the spatiotemporal precipitation isotope patterns across contiguous USA and supported by airmass trajectory analysis. We use the USNIP observational dataset to validate and test process representation in the variable-resolution isotope-enabled Community Earth System Model-version 2 (VR-iCESM2) with regional grid refinement to ~12.5 km over the contiguous US. To explore the relative influences of origin, transport, and condensation of water vapor on precipitation isotope patterns, we use process-oriented water tags in the VR-iCESM2 that track physical properties at the evaporation source locations, Rayleigh rainout effect, and precipitation condensation temperature. We find the model prediction to be deficient in coastal regions which improves in the continental interior, but ‘nudging’ the model with atmospheric thermodynamic properties and grid refinement leads to an overall enhancement in model performance relative to low resolution (~100 km) iCESM simulations. Evaluating and improving water cycling processes in climate models using spatially dense, long-term observational datasets of water isotopes, such as USNIP, will improve interpretations of paleoclimate records and predictions of future changes.

Understanding the impacts of glacier change on riverine ecosystems is limited by a lack of multi-year studies in glacierized mountain catchments quantifying the magnitude and stoichiometry of riverine biogeochemical yields. Here we evaluate riverine concentration-discharge relationships using the power function between daily runoff and element yields and stoichiometry across 10 catchments of varying glacial coverage within two climatically distinct regions in the Gulf of Alaska. Our multi-year study showed that biogeochemical stoichiometry and concentration-discharge relationships for dissolved carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus varied significantly with catchment glacier coverage across both regions. This stoichiometric variability could drive regional differences in proglacial riverine food webs given that high trophic levels in low productivity rivers are generally driven by bottom-up controls. The coherence of our findings across the Gulf of Alaska suggests that observed patterns in concentration-discharge relationships are likely globally generalizable to catchments in which discharge is dominated by glacier ice and/or snowmelt.

Long-term hydroclimate records provide an opportunity to understand potential drivers of the past, and give context to modern and future climate warming. A wide variety of proxy data now allow for reconstruction of climate variables that were not previously possible. Here we present a multi-proxy dataset including n-alkane 82H (82Hn-alk) values from an open-basin lake in Estonia to reconstruct past hydroclimate conditions for the eastern Baltic region. We complement our sedimentary 82Hn-alk data with existing carbonate-based oxygen stable isotope (818O) data to derive deuterium (d-) excess. We present multiple isotopic records and reconstructed relative humidity (ARH) values over the Holocene, and link these with modern precipitation 82H and 818O values to guide the interpretation of the paleo-proxies. Fossil pollen and chironomid-based temperature reconstructions, as well as biogeochemical data provide additional information for inferring past environmental changes. Our results indicate that the middle Holocene in Estonia had on average 6 +/- 3% higher RH values than the late Holocene. The 818O and 82H values were also higher during the middle Holocene, which we interpret as increased warm season precipitation. Our reconstructed d-excess values were relatively higher during the middle Holocene, indicating a more northerly or cold source water origin, in comparison to the late Holocene. In addition to the paleoclimatic significance, our results show how multiple quantitative proxies can be combined to characterize hydroclimate sensitivity to changes in relative humidity, temperature and moisture source.

The Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas are undergoing increased freshwater influx due to enhanced glacial and sea ice melt, precipitation, and runoff. Accurate delineation of these freshwater sources is vital as they critically modulate ocean composition and circulation with widespread and varied impacts. Despite this, the delineation of freshwater sources using physical oceanographic measurements (e.g., temperature, salinity) alone is challenging and there is a requirement to improve the partitioning of ocean water masses and their mixing relationships. Here, we complement traditional oceanographic measurements with continuous surface seawater isotopic analysis (delta 18O and deuterium excess) across a transect extending from coastal Alaska to Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea conducted from the US Coast Guard Cutter Healy in Autumn 2021. We find that the diverse isotopic signatures of Arctic freshwater sources, coupled with the high freshwater proportion in these marine systems, facilitates detailed fingerprinting and partitioning. We observe the highest freshwater composition in the Beaufort Sea and Amundsen Gulf regions, with heightened freshwater content in eastern Baffin Bay adjacent to West Greenland. We apply isotopic analysis to delineate freshwater sources, revealing that in the Western Arctic freshwater inputs are dominated by meteoric water inputs-specifically the Mackenzie River-with a smaller sea ice meltwater component and in Baffin Bay the primary sources are local precipitation and glacial meltwater discharge. We demonstrate that such freshwater partitioning cannot be achieved using temperature-salinity relationships alone, and highlight the potential of seawater isotopic tracers to assess the roles and importance of these evolving freshwater sources. Freshwater inputs to the Arctic seas, including glacial and sea ice meltwater, precipitation, and river runoff, are increasing as the Arctic warms. The impacts of these changing freshwater influxes are varied depending on the type of freshwater source, and thus it is important to delineate and trace these different freshwater sources, which represents a significant challenge using only traditional physical oceanographic measurements (e.g., temperature, salinity). In this study, we utilize a new approach to identify and trace freshwater sources using continuous seawater isotopic measurements during a cruise extending from coastal Alaska, through the Canadian Archipelago, and across Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea. We show that these isotopic measurements, which have been commonly used in other media (e.g., precipitation, water vapor, ice cores), hold important and distinct information about the source and mixing of different freshwater sources. We use these measurements to identify the freshwater sources (e.g., Mackenzie vs. Yukon River) contributing to ocean surface waters across the Arctic region. Seawater isotopic measurements (delta 18O, delta 2H, deuterium excess) show heightened freshwater content in the Beaufort Sea and Baffin Bay Isotopic observations enable freshwater source delineation not feasible from traditional physical oceanographic methods Freshwater source delineation includes the Mackenzie and Yukon Rivers around coastal Alaska and glacial meltwater in Baffin Bay

Rapidly changing climate is disrupting the High Arctic's water systems. As tracers of hydrological processes, stable water isotopes can be used for high quality monitoring of Arctic waters to better reconstruct past changes and assess future environmental threats. However, logistical challenges typically limit the length and scope of isotopic monitoring in High Arctic landscapes. Here, we present a comprehensive isotopic survey of 535 water samples taken in 2018 and 2019 of the lakes and other surface waters of the periglacial Pituffik Peninsula in far northwest Greenland. The delta 18O, delta 2H, and deuterium-excess values of these samples, representing 196 unique sites, grant unprecedented insight into the environmental drivers of the regional hydrology and water isotopic variability. We find that the spatial variability of lake water isotopes can best be explained through evaporation and the hydrological ability of a lake to replace evaporative water losses with precipitation and snowmelt. Temporally, summer-long evaporation can drive lake water isotopes beyond the isotopic range observed in precipitation, and wide interannual changes in lake water isotopes reflect annual weather differences that influenced evaporation. Following this, water isotope samples taken at individual times or sites in similar periglacial landscapes may have limited regional representativeness, and increasing the spatiotemporal extent of isotopic sampling is critical to producing accurate and informative High Arctic paleoclimate reconstructions. Overall, our survey highlights the diversity of isotopic compositions in Pituffik surface waters, and our complete isotopic and geospatial database provides a strong foundation for future researchers to study hydrological changes at Pituffik and across the Arctic. Water isotopes can help us track how rapidly changing climate is disrupting High Arctic water systems, but the challenging Arctic environment has limited the monitoring required to understand these isotopes. To address this, we collected 535 water isotope samples from lakes and other waters on the Pituffik Peninsula in northwest Greenland in 2018 and 2019. We found that differences in lake water isotopes are mainly due to water evaporation and how connected a lake is to sources of precipitation and snowmelt that can replace evaporated water in the summer. The information we collected about isotopes is a good starting point for other scientists who want to study how water is changing, not just in Pituffik, but also in the whole Arctic. Our findings tell us that if we only collect water samples once or twice, or only in one place, we might not get the full picture of what is happening with the isotopes across the whole region. To get a better understanding of how the climate is changing in the High Arctic, water isotopic samples should be collected from a wide range of locations over long periods of time. Five hundred and thirty five water isotope samples taken over 2 years in Pituffik, Greenland, provide insight into High Arctic isotope hydrology Spatially, lake water isotopic composition reflects the degree that evaporation losses are offset by precipitation and snowmelt recharge Evaporation drives summer-long lake water isotopic evolution and best explains interannual isotopic differences

The stable isotope compositions of water (δ18O, δ2H, deuterium-excess) are important tracers that help illuminate the changing Arctic water cycle and how Arctic-sourced water can influence lower latitudes. We present simultaneous boundary layer water vapor and ocean water isotope data that were measured continuously in the western Arctic Ocean. Sea surface water isotopes varied between the shallower continental Chukchi Shelf and the deeper Chukchi Borderlands to the north. The Chukchi Borderlands surface waters were less saline than the offshore Chukchi Shelf, as the Borderlands are influenced by greater sea ice cover and contribution of sea ice melt to surface freshwater. This greater contribution of sea ice melt resulted in lower deuterium-excess (δ2H − 8*δ18O) in surface water values in the deeper Chukchi Borderlands than on the shallower Chukchi Shelf. Additionally, the sea ice melt contributions to freshwater were less prominent than river runoff, but freshwater from both sources decreased substantially below 70 m depth in the Chukchi Borderlands. Our observed water isotope values provided the foundation for producing water isotope maps (isoscapes) based on remote sensing and machine learning which incorporate parameters that can influence ocean circulation and thus water isotopes (e.g., salinity, sea surface temperature, water depth). These isoscapes suggest spatial complexity in the distribution of stable water isotopes in the Arctic, including sharp gradients in the distribution of the isotopes in seawater that were studied. These isoscapes can be improved in future iterations, for example, with the availability of more spatially continuous, remotely sensed oceanic variables or continuous ship-based measurements to use as additional predictors. As a result, the generation of these isoscapes could become a useful tool for understanding the past, present, and future Arctic water cycle in the context of the global hydrologic cycle.

Long-term hydroclimate variability recorded in lake sediments from Estonia provide information about environmental changes in northern Europe during the Holocene. Lake Pangodi is a semi-closed basin lake in southern Estonia with a large surface area to volume ratio, making it sensitive to effective moisture balance (precipitation minus evapotranspiration), which is recorded as changes in the lake level. Here we conducted a ground penetrating radar (GPR) survey, sedimentological analyses, radiometric dating and lake level modeling study to identify periods of lake-level high- and low-stands. The radiocarbon-dated sedimentary stratigraphic features on our radargram support the model results, suggesting that Lake Pangodi formed at 12.8 ka. The water levels were likely variable during the early Holocene, and the comparison of Lake Pangodi sediment facies and the lake level model show relatively stable lake water depth between 9.8 ka and 2.4 ka, and an increase towards modern. A notable reduction in lake levels occurred between 8.2 and 7.7 ka, likely due to a significantly reduced precipitation-evaporation balance. Our middle Holocene reconstruction suggests water column depths nearly 2.0 m lower than modern. This aligns with the results from studies conducted in the Baltic region, yet contrasts those from Scandinavia, suggesting different hydroclimate driving mechanisms during the Holocene variations in hydrogeological regimes. Our model detected the most abrupt rise of 1.7 m in water levels between 1.5 and 1.3 ka. This study highlights the need to develop proxies from single lake basins combining multiple methods for a better spatiotemporal resolution of paleo-hydrological changes.

Studies of plants in modern catchment systems can serve to improve the level of understanding of sedimentary plant wax hydrogen isotope (delta 2H) data by directly investigating the link between local climate conditions, plant source water, leaf water, and plant lipids for individual plant species. Here we present such an application to compare two lake catchments with different basin morphologies in Estonia. We sampled leaf and xylem water, as well as leaf waxes from the seven common plant species in each catchment, and soil water. We then measured the delta 2H values of all waters, and of n-alkanes (delta 2Hn-alk) from the plant waxes, as well as surface lake sediments. We applied a Pe ' clet modified Craig-Gordon leaf water model using local precipitation isotope and climate data to characterize the delta 2H values of the biosynthetic source water pool throughout the entire growth season. The data and model results provide a detailed view of how the input hydro-climatic signals from the precipitation delta 2H values were modified by environmental and plant physiological conditions and ultimately by the biosynthetic isotope fractionation associated with n-alkane production by each plant species. We report both average apparent (epsilon app = -92 +/- 21 %o) and biosynthetic (epsilon bio = -132 +/- 19 %o) hydrogen isotope fractionation factors of all species from the studied catchments. This information serves as a foundation for sedimentary organic geochemistry and paleoclimate studies, which allows for more direct and quantitative links to be made between sedimentary plant wax delta 2H values and the climate signal contained in plant source water.

Rapidly changing climate is disrupting the High Arctic’s natural water systems. This disruption demands high quality monitoring of Arctic hydrology to better reconstruct past changes, track ongoing transformations, and assess future environmental threats. Water isotopes are valuable tracers of hydrological processes, but logistical challenges limit the length and scope of isotopic monitoring in High Arctic landscapes. Here, we present a comprehensive isotopic survey of 535 water samples taken in 2018–2019 of the lakes, streams, and other surface waters of the periglacial Pituffik Peninsula in far northwest Greenland. The δ O, δ H, and deuterium-excess values of these samples, representing 196 unique sites, grant us unprecedented insight into the environmental drivers of the region’s hydrology and water isotopic variability. We find that the spatial and temporal variability of lake isotopes is dominated by evaporation and connectivity to summer meltwater sources, while evaporation determines interannual isotopic changes. Stream isotopic compositions vary in both space and time based on the relative source balance of tundra snowpack meltwater versus surface melt from the nearby Greenland Ice Sheet. Overall, our survey highlights the diversity of isotopic composition and evolution in Pituffik surface waters, and our complete isotopic and geospatial database provides a strong foundation for future researchers to study hydrological changes at Pituffik and across the Arctic. Water isotope samples taken at individual times or sites in similar periglacial landscapes likely have limited regional representativeness, and increasing the spatiotemporal extent of isotopic sampling is critical to producing accurate and informative High Arctic paleoclimate reconstructions.

Radiocarbon-dated peat cores collected from an ombrotrophic bog in southern Estonia record shifting environmental conditions and carbon accumulation rates in northern Europe during the late Holocene. Modern observations indicate that the water balance of the peatland is highly influenced by changes in relative humidity, followed by temperature and precipitation. The modern δ18O and δ2H values of surface water suggest that the groundwater is an integration of several months of precipitation. There also appears to be little or no direct influence of surface evaporation on the water within the bog, suggesting that water loss is preferentially through transpiration and sub-surface flow. Bulk peat δ13C values exhibit a trend of higher values through the late Holocene, suggesting a pattern of overall increased surface wetness. The δ15N values were low from ~4130 to 3645 cal yr BP, suggesting drier conditions, followed by intermediate values until ~2995 cal yr BP. The δ15N values decrease again from ~2995 to 2470 cal yr BP, suggesting a return to drier conditions, followed by intermediate values until ~955 cal yr BP. The δ15N values were high, suggesting wetter conditions from ~955 to 250 cal yr BP, followed by intermediate values through the modern. Carbon accumulation rates were low to intermediate from ~4200 to 2470 cal yr BP, followed by intermediate-to-high values until ~1645 cal yr BP. Carbon accumulation rates were then low until ~585 cal yr BP, followed by intermediate values through the modern. The geochemical data, combined with observed changes in peat composition and regional proxies of temperature and water table fluctuations through the late Holocene, suggest that carbon accumulation rates were relatively low under dry and warm conditions, whereas accumulation was generally higher (up to ~80 g C m−2 yr−1) when the climate was wetter and/or colder. These findings further suggest that future environmental changes affecting the regional water balance and temperature will impact the potential for northern peatlands to capture and store carbon.

Non‐growing season CO2 emissions from Arctic tundra remain a major uncertainty in forecasting climate change consequences of permafrost thaw. We present the first time series of soil and microbial CO2 emissions from a graminoid tundra based on year‐round in situ measurements of the radiocarbon content of soil CO2 (Δ14CO2) and of bulk soil C (Δ14C), microbial activity, and temperature. Combining these data with land‐atmosphere CO2 exchange allows estimates of the proportion and mean age of microbial CO2 emissions year‐round. We observe a seasonal shift in emission sources from fresh carbon during the growing season (August Δ14CO2 = 74 ± 4.7‰, 37% ± 3.4% microbial, mean ± se) to increasingly older soil carbon in fall and winter (March Δ14CO2 = 22 ± 1.3‰, 47% ± 8% microbial). Thus, rising soil temperatures and emissions during fall and winter are depleting aged soil carbon pools in the active layer and thawing permafrost and further accelerating climate change.

High-latitude peatlands are changing rapidly in response to climate change, including permafrost thaw. Here, we reconstruct hydrological conditions since the seventeenth century using testate amoeba data from 103 high-latitude peat archives. We show that 54% of the peatlands have been drying and 32% have been wetting over this period, illustrating the complex ecohydrological dynamics of high latitude peatlands and their highly uncertain responses to a warming climate.

As the Arctic warms, one of the fundamental changes has been the freshening of Arctic ocean waters, impacting ocean circulation and marine ecosystems, among many other critical changes. This increase in freshwater is largely the result of increased precipitation and runoff as part of an amplified Arctic water cycle and increased influx of glacial meltwater from around the Arctic, particularly from the Greenland Ice Sheet. Tracing the sources and extent of this freshwater is critical to understanding future changes to the Arctic seas. One way of delineating these water masses is through measuring its isotopic composition (δ18O and δD), where the freshwater varies significantly from older and other ocean water sources. In order to identify these freshwater influxes, we conducted in-situ measurements aboard the USCGC Healy that transited the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, the Northwest Passage, and performed numerous transects across Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea, including detailed examinations of several key fjords and coastal regions of Greenland, during autumn of 2021. Over the length of this 45 day expedition, we continuously measured the isotopic composition (δ18O and δD) of surface seawater allowing us to fingerprint these sources of freshwater and assess the spatial extent of their influence. We also collected discrete samples from over 100 CTD casts, primarily in Baffin Bay, to identify how freshwater is distributed in the ocean water column. Through these measurements, we identified numerous freshwater influxes, including anomalously high proportions of freshwater in sections of the Beaufort Sea north of Alaska and in Uummannaq Fjord along the west Greenland coast. These isotopic measurements also allow for the disentangling of different freshwater sources (i.e., precipitation or glacial meltwater). Additionally, we find that the freshwater pulses along the west coast of Greenland corresponded with relatively high levels of chlorophyll and fluorescence, suggesting a possible link between this increase in biologic productivity and an increase in the proportion of freshwater.

One of the key changes of the global climate system is the loss of Arctic sea ice, particularly through its impact on ocean-atmosphere interactions. Enhanced evaporation under open-water conditions is widespread from places and periods previously precluded by perennial sea ice cover, leading to an increase in vapor uptake across the Arctic. However, the response of ocean-atmosphere system to sea ice loss varies significantly over time and space. To quantify these variations, the Arctic Water Isotope Network (AWIN) has been established to make continuous water vapor isotope measurements (δD, δ18O, and d-excess) at seven land-based stations from Barrow, Alaska to Ny Alesund, Svalbard. This network has been supplemented by continuous mobile isotope data from the CiASOM project on the Polarstern ice-breaker throughout the MOSAiC “Arctic-drift” expedition. With this network, we comprehensively track water vapor from its source to sink, thereby demonstrating how it varies simultaneously across the entire Arctic Basin. Here, we utilize AWIN measurements to specifically quantify how variations in sea ice extent and distribution affect moisture content, water vapor isotope traits, and transport along several critical storm tracks. By monitoring vapor isotopic changes in air masses advected from one site to another, we are able to track how much moisture is added along a given trajectory. We investigate several primary vapor transport pathways into the Arctic, including the North Atlantic/Greenland Sea, Baffin Bay, and the Bering Strait, and track the geochemical signature of this vapor as it transits along these well-established storm pathways into and within the Arctic. By quantifying isotopic changes between our sites we: 1) identify the distinct isotopic fingerprint of moisture sourced by evaporation from Arctic seas that is critically dependent on variable sea ice conditions, 2) detect moisture addition into critical storm tracks as they transit across the Arctic, and 3) determine the spatial variability of this enhanced Arctic-sourced evaporation and moisture. We find that for every major storm track observed, the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas are significant sources of enhanced moisture uptake, acting within an amplified water cycle.

Arctic sea-ice loss is emblematic of an amplified Arctic water cycle and has critical feedback implications for global climate. Stable isotopes (δ 18 O, δ 2 H, d-excess ) are valuable tracers for constraining water cycle and climate processes through space and time. Yet, the paucity of well-resolved Arctic isotope data preclude an empirically derived understanding of the hydrologic changes occurring today, in the deep (geologic) past, and in the future. To address this knowledge gap, the Pan-Arctic Precipitation Isotope Network (PAPIN) was established in 2018 to coordinate precipitation sampling at 19 stations across key tundra, subarctic, maritime, and continental climate zones. Here, we present a first assessment of rainfall samples collected in summer 2018 ( n = 281) and combine new isotope and meteorological data with sea ice observations, reanalysis data, and model simulations. Data collectively establish a summer Arctic Meteoric Water Line where δ 2 H = 7.6⋅δ 18 O–1.8 ( r 2 = 0.96, p < 0.01). Mean amount-weighted δ 18 O, δ 2 H, and d-excess values were −12.3, −93.5, and 4.9‰, respectively, with the lowest summer mean δ 18 O value observed in northwest Greenland (−19.9‰) and the highest in Iceland (−7.3‰). Southern Alaska recorded the lowest mean d-excess (−8.2%) and northern Russia the highest (9.9‰). We identify a range of δ 18 O-temperature coefficients from 0.31‰/°C (Alaska) to 0.93‰/°C (Russia). The steepest regression slopes (>0.75‰/°C) were observed at continental sites, while statistically significant temperature relations were generally absent at coastal stations. Model outputs indicate that 68% of the summer precipitating air masses were transported into the Arctic from mid-latitudes and were characterized by relatively high δ 18 O values. Yet 32% of precipitation events, characterized by lower δ 18 O and high d-excess values, derived from northerly air masses transported from the Arctic Ocean and/or its marginal seas, highlighting key emergent oceanic moisture sources as sea ice cover declines. Resolving these processes across broader spatial-temporal scales is an ongoing research priority, and will be key to quantifying the past, present, and future feedbacks of an amplified Arctic water cycle on the global climate system.