What evidence exists on the interlinkages between ecological and societal impacts of borealisation of the arctic? A systematic map protocol.

backgroundAs the global climate rapidly warms, one pervasive impact is the "borealisation" of the Arctic. Borealisation occurs when the species, communities and ecological processes of the Arctic transform to resemble that of more boreal lower latitudes. Such change is likely to have profound impacts on the diverse communities and cultures of the Arctic. Some of these impacts are starting to be documented, however this evidence has not been synthesised systematically. This systematic map protocol will therefore address the research question: "What evidence exists on the interlinkages between ecological and societal impacts of borealisation of the Arctic?" Additionally, this systematic map will support two current assessments of the Arctic Council working groups on the societal and ecological impacts of climate change in the Arctic, thus responding to policy relevant questions posed by Arctic governments.

methodsFollowing guidelines set out by the Collaboration for Environmental Evidence (CEE), a search of literature, both peer reviewed and grey, will be performed using a range of bibliographic databases, websites and search engines. The search strategy will use a pre-defined search string with Boolean operators. The search results will be screened for relevance according to specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. This will be done in two stages - firstly a screen of titles and abstracts, then a full text screening of eligible articles. At both stages, articles will be excluded if they fail to meet all eligibility criteria or if they meet exclusion criteria. Next, articles that are eligible after full text screening will be coded. At both the screening and coding stages, two reviewers will independently assess a defined number of articles to ensure inter-reviewer reliability and resolve differences. This evidence will then form a searchable database with accompanying visual outputs. A narrative output will outline the range and distribution of evidence, identify potential bias, knowledge clusters and gaps, and will explore areas for further research.