Effects of moisture limitation on tree growth in upland and floodplain forest ecosystems in interior Alaska

Yarie, John

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.06.022

Cited by 33 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…As a result, for a given level of summer moisture demand, reductions in winter snowpack accumulation may induce greater drought stress than reductions in summer precipitation. This hypothesis is consistent with summer rainfall exclusion experiments in interior Alaska showing that tree growth in well-drained upland forests is maintained primarily by snowmelt water and is not affected by summer rainfall deficits [84].…”

Section: Spatially Heterogeneous Controls Of Interannual Variability supporting

confidence: 87%

“…The melting of the snowpack in spring typically produces a large seasonal pulse in soil moisture recharge that can sustain vigorous vegetation growth and evapotranspiration well into the growing season until the start of a second period of moisture recharge by summer rainfalls [83,84]. However, summer rainfall may replenish moisture near the surface but may be less effective in recharging deeper soil layers because a large fraction is lost to evaporation.…”

Section: Spatially Heterogeneous Controls Of Interannual Variability mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, together with seasonal warming, declining snow cover appears to be playing an important role in driving the well-documented contrast between forest browning and tundra greening trends in North America [15,16,18]. Reduced peak snow accumulation can extend the short northern growing seasons and stimulate earlier and faster vegetation greening in some cool Arctic regions [34,90], but it may have an adverse impact in the boreal forests due to reduced water availability during summer [84] and soil insulation during the cold season [92,93].…”

Section: Drivers Of Vegetation Greening and Browning Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temperature and Snow-Mediated Moisture Controls of Summer Photosynthetic Activity in Northern Terrestrial Ecosystems between 1982 and 2011

et al. 2014

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Recent warming has stimulated the productivity of boreal and Arctic vegetation by reducing temperature limitations. However, several studies have hypothesized that warming may have also increased moisture limitations because of intensified summer drought severity. Establishing the connections between warming and drought stress has been difficult because soil moisture observations are scarce. Here we use recently developed gridded datasets of moisture variability to investigate the links between warming and changes in available soil moisture and summer vegetation photosynthetic activity at northern latitudes (>45 • N) based on the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) since 1982. Moisture and temperature exert a significant influence on the interannual variability of Remote Sens. 2014, 6 1391 summer NDVI over about 29% (mean r 2 = 0.29 ± 0.16) and 43% (mean r 2 = 0.25 ± 0.12) of the northern vegetated land, respectively. Rapid summer warming since the late 1980s (∼0.7 • C) has increased evapotranspiration demand and consequently summer drought severity, but contrary to earlier suggestions it has not changed the dominant climate controls of NDVI over time. Furthermore, changes in snow dynamics (accumulation and melting) appear to be more important than increased evaporative demand in controlling changes in summer soil moisture availability and NDVI in moisture-sensitive regions of the boreal forest. In boreal North America, forest NDVI declines are more consistent with reduced snowpack rather than with temperature-induced increases in evaporative demand as suggested in earlier studies. Moreover, summer NDVI variability over about 28% of the northern vegetated land is not significantly associated with moisture or temperature variability, yet most of this land shows increasing NDVI trends. These results suggest that changes in snow accumulation and melt, together with other possibly non-climatic factors are likely to play a significant role in modulating regional ecosystem responses to the projected warming and increase in evapotranspiration demand during the coming decades.

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Section: Spatially Heterogeneous Controls Of Interannual Variability supporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Spatially Heterogeneous Controls Of Interannual Variability mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Drivers Of Vegetation Greening and Browning Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Temperature and Snow-Mediated Moisture Controls of Summer Photosynthetic Activity in Northern Terrestrial Ecosystems between 1982 and 2011

et al. 2014

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“…New direct experimental results demonstrate that at least some boreal evergreen conifers largely grow by moisture supplied from winter snowpack melt (Yarie 2008). In most of the boreal forest region, temperature increases have made the snow accumulation season shorter, so that less of the annual water budget is introduced into the ground in the spring pulse of snowmelt.…”

Section: Socio-economic Processes and The Role Of Snow Covermentioning

confidence: 99%

Multiple Effects of Changes in Arctic Snow Cover

Callaghan

Johansson

Brown

et al. 2011

AMBIO

188

107

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Snow cover plays a major role in the climate, hydrological and ecological systems of the Arctic and other regions through its influence on the surface energy balance (e.g. reflectivity), water balance (e.g. water storage and release), thermal regimes (e.g. insulation), vegetation and trace gas fluxes. Feedbacks to the climate system have global consequences. The livelihoods and well-being of Arctic residents and many services for the wider population depend on snow conditions so changes have important consequences. Already, changing snow conditions, particularly reduced summer soil moisture, winter thaw events and rain-on-snow conditions have negatively affected commercial forestry, reindeer herding, some wild animal populations and vegetation. Reductions in snow cover are also adversely impacting indigenous peoples' access to traditional foods with negative impacts on human health and well-being. However, there are likely to be some benefits from a changing Arctic snow regime such as more even run-off from melting snow that favours hydropower operations.

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“…Whereas an earlier spring thaw is generally thought to be beneficial to plant growth by providing a longer growing season (e.g. Euskirchen et al 2006), reduced growth due to soil moisture deficits later in the season may prevail if summer precipitation does not increase sufficiently (Yarie 2008), thereby resulting in no net gains (Starr et al 2008). Earlier snow thaw can also benefit animals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-Decadal Changes in Snow Characteristics in Sub-Arctic Sweden

Johansson

Pohjola

Jonasson

et al. 2011

AMBIO

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A unique long term, 49-year record (divided into three time periods 1961-1976, 1977-1992, and 1993-2009) of snow profile stratigraphy from the Swedish sub Arctic, was analyzed with a focus on changes in snow characteristics. The data set contained grain size, snow layer hardness, grain compactness, and snow layer dryness, observed every second week during the winter season. The results showed an increase in very hard snow layers, with harder snow in early winter and more moist snow during spring. There was a striking increase in the number of observations with very hard snow at ground level over time. More than twice as many occasions with hard snow at ground level were observed between 1993 and 2009 compared to previous years, which may have a significant effect on plants and animals. The changes in snow characteristics are most likely a result of the increasing temperatures during the start and the end of the snow season.

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Effects of moisture limitation on tree growth in upland and floodplain forest ecosystems in interior Alaska

Cited by 33 publications

References 19 publications

Temperature and Snow-Mediated Moisture Controls of Summer Photosynthetic Activity in Northern Terrestrial Ecosystems between 1982 and 2011

Temperature and Snow-Mediated Moisture Controls of Summer Photosynthetic Activity in Northern Terrestrial Ecosystems between 1982 and 2011

Multiple Effects of Changes in Arctic Snow Cover

Multi-Decadal Changes in Snow Characteristics in Sub-Arctic Sweden

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