近日，美国伍兹霍尔海洋研究所Kirstin S. Meyer-Kaiser团队报道了放大的北极冰山交通重塑了底栖生物的多样性。相关论文发表在2026年6月10日出版的《自然》杂志上。

北极正在经历快速变暖，导致海冰和冰川消退，然而冰冻圈变化如何向深海传播尚不清楚。

研究组识别出一种气候驱动的机制，该机制将冰川崩解的加速与崩解前缘远场深海底栖硬质栖息地的增加联系起来。弗拉姆海峡的海底观测显示，由携带着碎屑的冰山输送的落石密度和斑块状分布呈现局部增加。与此同时，四十年的船基记录显示，冰山的出现在21世纪初急剧增加。回溯轨迹将这些冰山与格陵兰东北部和俄罗斯高纬度北极地区的主要入海冰川联系起来。在格陵兰东北部，冰川失稳的时间与这一增加相吻合；而在俄罗斯地区，尽管有冰川活动增强的迹象，但稀疏的卫星覆盖限制了时间归属分析。

一项模型敏感性研究表明，除了崩解加剧外，更为动态的海冰覆盖也促进了冰川冰的下游输送。沿着这些路径，冰山活动的增加可能通过增强的融冰及相关陆源输入重塑深海生境，并随着北极海上交通的扩展而提高航行风险。尽管与更新世海因里希事件的冰山排放量相比规模较小，但这一机制为变暖气候下冰冻圈对海底的远距离影响提供了一个现代类比。

附：英文原文

Title: Amplified Arctic iceberg traffic reshapes benthic biodiversity

Author: Krumpen, Thomas, Meyer-Kaiser, Kirstin S., Wekerle, Claudia, Ackermann, Lars, Castle, Deonie, Bergmann, Melanie, Hoppmann, Mario, Khan, Shfaqat A., Purser, Autun, Schmithsen, Holger

Issue&Volume: 2026-06-10

Abstract: The Arctic is undergoing rapid warming, resulting in retreating sea ice and glaciers1, yet how cryospheric changes propagate into the deep ocean remains poorly understood2. Here we identify a climate-driven mechanism linking accelerating glacier disintegration to an increase in deep-sea hard-bottom habitats far beyond calving fronts. Seafloor observations in Fram Strait show a localized increase in the density and patchiness of dropstones delivered by debris-laden icebergs. At the same time, four decades of shipboard records show that the occurrence of icebergs increased abruptly in the early 2000s. Backtracking links these icebergs to the main outlet glaciers in northeast Greenland and the Russian High Arctic. In northeast Greenland, the timing of glacier destabilization coincides with this rise, whereas sparse satellite coverage in the Russian sector limits temporal attribution despite indications of enhanced glacier activity. A model sensitivity study shows that, apart from intensified calving, a more dynamic sea ice cover enhances downstream transport of glacial ice. Along these pathways, increased iceberg activity could reshape deep-sea habitats through enhanced melt and associated lithogenic input, and elevate navigational hazards as maritime traffic expands in the Arctic. Although modest compared with the iceberg discharges of Pleistocene Heinrich events, this mechanism provides a modern analogue of long-range cryospheric influence on the seafloor in a warming climate.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10630-4

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10630-4