Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data

Satellite-derived remote-sensing products are providing a modern circumpolar perspective of Arctic vegetation and its changes, but this new view is dependent on a long heritage of ground-based observations in the Arctic. Several products of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna are key to our c...

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Main Authors: D A Walker, F J A Daniëls, I Alsos, U S Bhatt, A L Breen, M Buchhorn, H Bültmann, L A Druckenmiller, M E Edwards, D Ehrich, H E Epstein, W A Gould, R A Ims, H Meltofte, M K Raynolds, J Sibik, S S Talbot, P J Webber
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2016-01-01
Series:Environmental Research Letters
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/055005
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author D A Walker
F J A Daniëls
I Alsos
U S Bhatt
A L Breen
M Buchhorn
H Bültmann
L A Druckenmiller
M E Edwards
D Ehrich
H E Epstein
W A Gould
R A Ims
H Meltofte
M K Raynolds
J Sibik
S S Talbot
P J Webber
author_facet D A Walker
F J A Daniëls
I Alsos
U S Bhatt
A L Breen
M Buchhorn
H Bültmann
L A Druckenmiller
M E Edwards
D Ehrich
H E Epstein
W A Gould
R A Ims
H Meltofte
M K Raynolds
J Sibik
S S Talbot
P J Webber
author_sort D A Walker
collection DOAJ
description Satellite-derived remote-sensing products are providing a modern circumpolar perspective of Arctic vegetation and its changes, but this new view is dependent on a long heritage of ground-based observations in the Arctic. Several products of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna are key to our current understanding. We review aspects of the PanArctic Flora, the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map, the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment, and the Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA) as they relate to efforts to describe and map the vegetation, plant biomass, and biodiversity of the Arctic at circumpolar, regional, landscape and plot scales. Cornerstones for all these tools are ground-based plant-species and plant-community surveys. The AVA is in progress and will store plot-based vegetation observations in a public-accessible database for vegetation classification, modeling, diversity studies, and other applications. We present the current status of the Alaska Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA-AK), as a regional example for the panarctic archive, and with a roadmap for a coordinated international approach to survey, archive and classify Arctic vegetation. We note the need for more consistent standards of plot-based observations, and make several recommendations to improve the linkage between plot-based observations biodiversity studies and satellite-based observations of Arctic vegetation.
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spelling doaj.art-b3408263360b46d7ba720151e730bb6c2023-08-09T14:18:01ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Letters1748-93262016-01-0111505500510.1088/1748-9326/11/5/055005Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot dataD A Walker0F J A Daniëls1I Alsos2U S Bhatt3A L Breen4M Buchhorn5H Bültmann6L A Druckenmiller7M E Edwards8D Ehrich9H E Epstein10W A Gould11R A Ims12H Meltofte13M K Raynolds14J Sibik15S S Talbot16P J Webber17Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks , USAInstitute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Münster University , GermanyTromsø Museum, UiT, The Arctic University of Norway , Tromsø, NorwayDepartment of Amospheric Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks , USAInternational Arctic Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks , USAInstitute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks , USAInstitute of Biology and Biotechnology of Plants, Münster University , GermanyInstitute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks , USADepartment of Geography and Environment, University of Southampton , UKDepartment of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT—The Arctic University , NorwayDepartment of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia , USAUS Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, USADepartment of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT—The Arctic University , NorwayDepartment of Bioscience, Aarhus University , DenmarkInstitute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks , USASlovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovak RepublicUS Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK, USADepartment of Plant Biology (Emeritus), Michigan State University , Ann Arbor, MI, USASatellite-derived remote-sensing products are providing a modern circumpolar perspective of Arctic vegetation and its changes, but this new view is dependent on a long heritage of ground-based observations in the Arctic. Several products of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna are key to our current understanding. We review aspects of the PanArctic Flora, the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map, the Arctic Biodiversity Assessment, and the Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA) as they relate to efforts to describe and map the vegetation, plant biomass, and biodiversity of the Arctic at circumpolar, regional, landscape and plot scales. Cornerstones for all these tools are ground-based plant-species and plant-community surveys. The AVA is in progress and will store plot-based vegetation observations in a public-accessible database for vegetation classification, modeling, diversity studies, and other applications. We present the current status of the Alaska Arctic Vegetation Archive (AVA-AK), as a regional example for the panarctic archive, and with a roadmap for a coordinated international approach to survey, archive and classify Arctic vegetation. We note the need for more consistent standards of plot-based observations, and make several recommendations to improve the linkage between plot-based observations biodiversity studies and satellite-based observations of Arctic vegetation.https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/055005climate changeremote sensingvegetation classificationArcticbiodiversitycircumpolar
spellingShingle D A Walker
F J A Daniëls
I Alsos
U S Bhatt
A L Breen
M Buchhorn
H Bültmann
L A Druckenmiller
M E Edwards
D Ehrich
H E Epstein
W A Gould
R A Ims
H Meltofte
M K Raynolds
J Sibik
S S Talbot
P J Webber
Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data
Environmental Research Letters
climate change
remote sensing
vegetation classification
Arctic
biodiversity
circumpolar
title Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data
title_full Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data
title_fullStr Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data
title_full_unstemmed Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data
title_short Circumpolar Arctic vegetation: a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey, archive and classify tundra plot data
title_sort circumpolar arctic vegetation a hierarchic review and roadmap toward an internationally consistent approach to survey archive and classify tundra plot data
topic climate change
remote sensing
vegetation classification
Arctic
biodiversity
circumpolar
url https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/11/5/055005
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