Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems

Arctic warming has been linked to observed increases in tundra shrub cover and growth in recent decades on the basis of significant relationships between deciduous shrub growth/biomass and temperature. These vegetation trends have been linked to Arctic sea-ice decline and thus to the sea-ice/albedo...

Täydet tiedot

Bibliografiset tiedot
Päätekijät: Macias-Fauria, M, Forbes, B, Zetterberg, P, Kumpula, T
Aineistotyyppi: Journal article
Kieli:English
Julkaistu: 2012
_version_ 1826275564511559680
author Macias-Fauria, M
Forbes, B
Zetterberg, P
Kumpula, T
author_facet Macias-Fauria, M
Forbes, B
Zetterberg, P
Kumpula, T
author_sort Macias-Fauria, M
collection OXFORD
description Arctic warming has been linked to observed increases in tundra shrub cover and growth in recent decades on the basis of significant relationships between deciduous shrub growth/biomass and temperature. These vegetation trends have been linked to Arctic sea-ice decline and thus to the sea-ice/albedo feedback known as Arctic amplification. However, the interactions between climate, sea ice and tundra vegetation remain poorly understood. Here we reveal a 50-year growth response over a >100,000ĝ€‰km 2 area to a rise in summer temperature for alder (Alnus) and willow (Salix), the most abundant shrub genera respectively at and north of the continental treeline. We demonstrate that whereas plant productivity is related to sea ice in late spring, the growing season peak responds to persistent synoptic-scale air masses over West Siberia associated with Fennoscandian weather systems through the Rossby wave train. Substrate is important for biomass accumulation, yet a strong correlation between growth and temperature encompasses all observed soil types. Vegetation is especially responsive to temperature in early summer. These results have significant implications for modelling present and future Low Arctic vegetation responses to climate change, and emphasize the potential for structurally novel ecosystems to emerge from within the tundra zone. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
first_indexed 2024-03-06T23:00:39Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:61fb3920-9e8e-4018-b39a-f3fa5bdf25bc
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-06T23:00:39Z
publishDate 2012
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:61fb3920-9e8e-4018-b39a-f3fa5bdf25bc2022-03-26T18:03:25ZEurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystemsJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:61fb3920-9e8e-4018-b39a-f3fa5bdf25bcEnglishSymplectic Elements at Oxford2012Macias-Fauria, MForbes, BZetterberg, PKumpula, TArctic warming has been linked to observed increases in tundra shrub cover and growth in recent decades on the basis of significant relationships between deciduous shrub growth/biomass and temperature. These vegetation trends have been linked to Arctic sea-ice decline and thus to the sea-ice/albedo feedback known as Arctic amplification. However, the interactions between climate, sea ice and tundra vegetation remain poorly understood. Here we reveal a 50-year growth response over a >100,000ĝ€‰km 2 area to a rise in summer temperature for alder (Alnus) and willow (Salix), the most abundant shrub genera respectively at and north of the continental treeline. We demonstrate that whereas plant productivity is related to sea ice in late spring, the growing season peak responds to persistent synoptic-scale air masses over West Siberia associated with Fennoscandian weather systems through the Rossby wave train. Substrate is important for biomass accumulation, yet a strong correlation between growth and temperature encompasses all observed soil types. Vegetation is especially responsive to temperature in early summer. These results have significant implications for modelling present and future Low Arctic vegetation responses to climate change, and emphasize the potential for structurally novel ecosystems to emerge from within the tundra zone. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.
spellingShingle Macias-Fauria, M
Forbes, B
Zetterberg, P
Kumpula, T
Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems
title Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems
title_full Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems
title_fullStr Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems
title_full_unstemmed Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems
title_short Eurasian Arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems
title_sort eurasian arctic greening reveals teleconnections and the potential for structurally novel ecosystems
work_keys_str_mv AT maciasfauriam eurasianarcticgreeningrevealsteleconnectionsandthepotentialforstructurallynovelecosystems
AT forbesb eurasianarcticgreeningrevealsteleconnectionsandthepotentialforstructurallynovelecosystems
AT zetterbergp eurasianarcticgreeningrevealsteleconnectionsandthepotentialforstructurallynovelecosystems
AT kumpulat eurasianarcticgreeningrevealsteleconnectionsandthepotentialforstructurallynovelecosystems