Invertebrate diversity and succession chronosequenced at proglacial sites.

This study will revisit and sample the same sites as those studied by Hodkinson et al. (2004) in their work "invertebrate community assembly along proglacial chronosequences in the high Arctic". their study demonstrated that the succession was predictable, directional and deterministic closely linked to plant colonisation, soil development and species specific traits.

Since the study was conducted in 2004 climate change has increased temperatures causing the glacier to further retreat. With temperatures in Svalbard increasing with approximately four degrees in the past century. The Arctic is particularly vulnerable to climate change due to a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification, whereby the region is warming up to four times faster than the global average.