Subtle response in Arctic coastal benthos to environmental change - a case study from NE Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland)

Climate change is rapidly altering the environment in the Arctic with large

implications for marine life. This study presents the rst time-series analysis of

epibenthic community structure in Young Sound, NE Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland),

aiming to assess the structural and functional changes over time in response to

climate-driven environmental change. Using data collected by drop cameras and

ROVs at depths of 20m to 60m, from years 2003–2010 and 2021-2022, we

evaluated the taxonomic and functional composition of the benthic community.

Brittle stars and bivalves were the most common taxa, altogether comprising 95%

of total abundances, and they displayed uctuating temporal trend, with a

signi cant reduction in bivalve abundances in the later years. Dissimilarities in

the benthic communities were primarily driven by differences in depth and

secondly by the length of the open water period. Longer ice-free period led to

an increase in the large and small size classes, short-lived and lter/suspension

feeding taxa, which may impact higher trophic levels in the fjord. This shift

indicates that ecosystem changes are also occurring in the out ow region of

the Arctic, underscoring the vulnerability of Arctic benthic ecosystems to cli-

mate change.