The Past Global Changes working group ACME is dedicated to proxy-based reconstructions of Arctic cryosphere change and coastal marine ecosystems
Arctic Climate Evolution and Marine Ecosystems in the Ribeiro Group
This cross-institutional research group (Globe-GEUS partnership) works at the intersection of Marine Ecology, Paleoceanography, and Paleogenetics to decipher long-term climate and environmental changes in the Arctic region and their impacts on marine ecosystems, with focus on Greenland.
We discover, develop, and use proxy methods ranging from microfossils, biogeochemical tracers, and sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from marine sediment records to reconstruct past climate and environmental changes and their impacts. Our research further contributes to characterizing long-term dynamics in the occurrence, diversity and function of marine biota across the tree of life, with a particular focus on pelagic and sympagic (sea ice) primary producers.
Global Climate Change is amplified in the Arctic, a region now warming nearly four times faster than the global average. The Greenland Ice Sheet is losing mass at an accelerating rate, glaciers are retreating onto land, and multiyear sea ice is expected to disappear within this century. As the cryosphere shrinks, ocean currents are changing, and marine species are either on the move, adapting or disappearing. Are the magnitude and rate of observed Arctic change unprecedented? How resilient are Arctic marine ecosystems to abrupt climate shifts? What can we learn from paleo-environmental records about emerging climate change risks? Our ultimate goal is to provide long-term perspectives on Arctic change that can inform decision making on regional, national, and international levels.
- Kvorning, A., Heikkila, M., Pearce, C., Seidenkrantz M.-S., Simpson, G., Meire, L., Kuijpers, A., Larsen, N.
K., Ribeiro, S. (2025). A Holocene fjord record from Greenland reveals exceptional Atlantic water influence during minimum ice-sheet extent. Communications Earth and Environment 6, 326. - Harðardóttir, S., Haile, J., Ray, J., Limoges, A., Van Nieuwenhove, N., Lalande, C., Grondin, P.-L., Jackson,
R., Sandnes, K., Heikkilä, M., Berge, J., Lundholm, N., Rysgaard, S., Seidenkrantz, M.-S., Lovejoy, C., De
Schepper, S., Lorenzen, E., Massé, G., Ribeiro, S. (2024). Millennial-scale variations in Arctic sea-ice are
recorded in sedimentary ancient DNA of the microalga Polarella glacialis. Communications Earth and
Environment 5, 25. - Oksman, M., Kvorning, A., Larsen, SH, Kjeldsen, KK, Mankoff, K., Colgan, W., Andersen, TJ, Nørgaard-
Pedersen, N., Seidenkrantz, M.-S., Mikkelsen, N., Ribeiro, S. (2022). Impact of freshwater runoff from the
southwest Greenland Ice Sheet on fjord productivity since the late 19th century. The Cryosphere 16(6): 2471-2491. - Ribeiro, S., Limoges, A., Massé, G., Johansen, K., Colgan, W., Weckström, K., Jackson, R., Georgiadis, E.,
Mikkelsen, N., Kuijpers, A., Olsen, J., Olsen, S., Nissen, M., Andersen, T.J., Strunk, A., Wetterich, S.,
Syväranta, J., Henderson, A., Mackay, H., Taipale, S., Jeppesen, E., Larsen, N.K., Crosta, X., Giraudeau, J.,
Wengrat, S., Nuttall, M., Grønnow, B., Mosbech, A., Davidson, T. (2021). Vulnerability of the North Water ecosystem to climate change. Nature Communications 12: 4475.
Independent Research Fund Denmark, The VILLUM Foundation, The Carlsberg Foundation, NordForsk, Geocenter Denmark, PAGES.
Projects
Group members:
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