The Circumpolar Arctic vegetation map

Walker, Donald A.; Raynolds, Martha K.; Daniëls, Fred J.A.; Einarsson, Eyþór; Elvebakk, Arve; Gould, William A.; Katenin, A. E.; Kholod, S. S.; Markon, Carl J.; Melnikov, E. S.; Москаленко, Н. Г.; Talbot, Stephen S.; Yurtsev, B. A.

doi:10.1111/j.1654-1103.2005.tb02365.x

Cited by 918 publications

(493 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Three of the five Arctic bioclimatic subzones identified by Walker et al (2005) are present in Svalbard: polar desert (subzone A), northern Arctic tundra (subzone B) and middle Arctic tundra (subzone C). Mean air temperatures of the warmest month in each zone respectively are between 1-2.5°C, 2.5-4°C, and 4-6°C (Elvebakk 2005).…”

Section: Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humans introduce viable seeds to the Arctic on footwear

Ware¹,

Bergstrom

Müller³

et al. 2011

Biol Invasions

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Expanding visitation to Polar regions combined with climate warming increases the potential for alien species introduction and establishment. We quantified vascular plant propagule pressure associated with different groups of travelers to the high-Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, and evaluated the potential of introduced seeds to germinate under the most favorable average Svalbard soil temperature (10°C). We sampled the footwear of 259 travelers arriving by air to Svalbard during the summer of 2008, recording 1,019 seeds: a mean of 3.9 (±0.8) seeds per traveler. Assuming the seed influx is representative for the whole year, we estimate a yearly seed load of around 270,000 by this vector alone. Seeds of 53 species were identified from 17 families, with Poaceae having both highest diversity and number of seeds. Eight of the families identified are among those most invasive worldwide, while the majority of the species identified were nonnative to Svalbard. The number of seeds was highest on footwear that had been used in forested and alpine areas in the 3 months prior to traveling to Svalbard, and increased with the amount of soil affixed to footwear. In total, 26% of the collected seeds germinated under simulated Svalbard conditions. Our results demonstrate high propagule transport through aviation to highly visited cold-climate regions and isolated islands is occurring. Alien species establishment is expected to increase with climate change, particularly in high latitude regions, making the need for regional management considerations a priority.

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Section: Locationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Humans introduce viable seeds to the Arctic on footwear

Ware¹,

Bergstrom

Müller³

et al. 2011

Biol Invasions

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show abstract

“…In the Abisko area there are a few remaining patches of tussock tundra dominated by Arctic cottongrass (Eriophorum vaginatum), which is a main component of the circumpolar low Arctic vegetation cover [118]. These patches are found in flat areas on mineral soil (silt dominated) close to midalpine lakes, the largest one located at Latnjajaure.…”

Section: (V) Wetland Vegetationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers

Callaghan

Jonasson

Thierfelder

et al. 2013

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

147

142

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The subarctic environment of northernmost Sweden has changed over the past century, particularly elements of climate and cryosphere. This paper presents a unique geo-referenced record of environmental and ecosystem observations from the area since 1913. Abiotic changes have been substantial. Vegetation changes include not only increases in growth and range extension but also counterintuitive decreases, and stability: all three possible responses. Changes in species composition within the major plant communities have ranged between almost no changes to almost a 50 per cent increase in the number of species. Changes in plant species abundance also vary with particularly large increases in trees and shrubs (up to 600%). There has been an increase in abundance of aspen and large changes in other plant communities responding to wetland area increases resulting from permafrost thaw. Populations of herbivores have responded to varying management practices and climate regimes, particularly changing snow conditions. While it is difficult to generalize and scale-up the site-specific changes in ecosystems, this very site-specificity, combined with projections of change, is of immediate relevance to local stakeholders who need to adapt to new opportunities and to respond to challenges. Furthermore, the relatively small area and its unique datasets are a microcosm of the complexity of Arctic landscapes in transition that remains to be documented.

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“…The study site is located in the middle arctic tundra zone (Elvebakk 1999;Walker et al 2005), characterized by cold, dry, and windy conditions. In Longyearbyen, 70 km south of the study site, the mean annual temperature is -5.3°C, with annual precipitation of 184 mm (Fig.…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature modulates intra-plant growth of Salix polaris from a high Arctic site (Svalbard)

et al. 2013

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Arctic ecosystems are important carbon sinks. Increasing temperatures in these regions might stimulate soil carbon release. Evidence suggests that deciduous shrubs might counteract these carbon losses because they positively respond to increasing temperature, but their role in ecosystem carbon budgets remains uncertain. Many studies dealing with large-scale tundra greening and carbon sequestration in relation to increasing temperature have usually based their estimations on the aboveground components, but very little is known about belowground growth. In this context, annual rings can provide a retrospective insight into intra-plant temperature responses and seasonal growth allocation. This study presents a 70-yearlong and annually resolved intra-plant analysis of ring width and missing ring distribution from a comprehensive serial sectioning, including 142 cross-sections and the measurements of 471 radii from ten Salix polaris Wahlenb. dwarf shrubs growing in the high Arctic on Svalbard. Results indicate a high intra-plant and inter-annual growth variation, characterized by a high proportion of partially (13.6 %) and completely (11.2 %) missing rings. The annual growth and the frequency of completely missing rings were evenly distributed inside the plant and mainly controlled by summer temperatures. Radial growth in the belowground parts appeared to be proportionally higher during long and warm summers and lower in cold early growing seasons than in the aboveground parts. The results reveal a diverging allocation between aboveground and belowground growth depending on the climatic conditions. Favorable years promoted root allocation since root radial growth occurs after aboveground growth. The observed belowground responses suggest that shrub carbon allocation might be higher than estimated only from the aboveground compartments.

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The Circumpolar Arctic vegetation map

Cited by 918 publications

References 26 publications

Humans introduce viable seeds to the Arctic on footwear

Humans introduce viable seeds to the Arctic on footwear

Ecosystem change and stability over multiple decades in the Swedish subarctic: complex processes and multiple drivers

Temperature modulates intra-plant growth of Salix polaris from a high Arctic site (Svalbard)

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