Climate change pushes plants into the Arctic and disrupts tundra ecosystems

From the rise of the oceans to the extinction of species, climate change is affecting our world in many ways. Today, an international team of researchers has revealed the tremendous impact that the changing climate has on plants in the tundra regions and the profound consequences this could have for the planet as a whole.

Tundras are cold, treeless ecosystems found in Alaska, Canada, northern Europe, and Siberia, some of the most challenging environments in the world. They are generally covered with snow for most of the year and are home to hundreds of species of shrubs, grasses and other lowland plants that play a vital role in the Earth's carbon cycle.

For a study published in the journal Nature, researchers analyzed more than 60,000 records of plant characteristics from sites in tundra environments in arctic and alpine regions.

The team has shown that plants in these areas have grown in the last 30 years due to warmer temperatures. They also found that larger plant species move down from the Arctic from more southern regions. Virginia hay, for example, which is common in lowland Europe, has now moved to areas in Iceland and Sweden.

Significantly, tundra regions are warming faster than any other type of environment, or "biome," on Earth.

"Temperatures in the Arctic have risen by about 1 degree Celsius [1.8 degrees Fahrenheit] In summer and 1.5 degrees Celsius in winter over the last three decades, among the fastest warming rates on the planet, "said Isla Myers-Smith, one of the authors of the School of Medicine study. GeoSciences at the University of Edinburgh. Newsweek.

"The warming also occurs at the top of the world's mountains, in the ecosystems above the treeline, known as the mountain," she said. "Together, the Arctic and the Alps form the tundra biome – the vegetated land experiencing the cold extremes of life on our planet.

See all best photos of the week in these slideshows

According to the researchers, changes in the structure and composition of plant communities in this region, driven by warming, have important implications for the functioning not only of the tundra ecosystem, but also of the planet as a whole.

"Tundra plants slowly grow carbon underground," Smith said. "We believe that almost two-thirds of plant biomass is actually underground in tundra ecosystems. These northern ecosystems, where soils are frozen all year round, are thought to contain about a third of the world's soil carbon. If plant species change and the characteristics of these plants change, this could change the way carbon is stored in these ecosystems.

Stock image of Arctic poppies. According to a new study conducted as part of a global collaboration by the University of Edinburgh, plants in the Arctic tundra are growing because of climate change. iStock

"For example, if plants grow quickly in the tundra, it is important because it means that plants can stay above the snowpack in winter and spring and darken the surface of the tundra," he said. she said. "White snow and ice reflect the heat of the sun, but if the surface of the tundra becomes darker, it could help warm these cold ecosystems, accelerating vegetation change."

The overall effect of this situation could lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere and, as a result, an acceleration of global warming, although the magnitude of this impact would be difficult to predict.

"Understanding how tundra ecosystems have evolved will help us better predict future changes as the climate warms and impacts on the planet as a whole," Smith said.