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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. Credit: Anne D Bjorkman
According to a new scientific study conducted by the University of Edinburgh, Arctic plants are growing due to climate change.
Although the Arctic is generally considered a vast, desolate landscape of ice, it actually houses hundreds of species of shrubs, herbs and other low altitude plants. that play a vital role in the carbon cycle and energy balance.
Now, Arctic experts have discovered that the effects of climate change are causing an increase in plant height in the tundra over the past 30 years.
In addition to the growth of native Arctic plants, in the southern Arctic, larger plant species are propagating in the tundra. Virginia hay, common in the lowlands of Europe, has settled on sites in Iceland and Sweden.
Dr. Isla Myers-Smith of the Faculty of Geosciences of the University of Edinburgh and Dr. Anne Bjorkman of the Center for Biodiversity and Climate Research of Senckenberg (BiK-F) in Frankfurt, led the International Team of 130 Natural Environment Research Scientists Project funded by the Council (NERC).
More than 60,000 observations of data from hundreds of sites across the Arctic and alpine tundra have been analyzed to produce the results, published in Nature aujourd & # 39; hui.
Dr. Bjorkman said: "The rapid warming of the climate in the Arctic and Alpine regions is causing changes in the structure and composition of plant communities, with important consequences for the functioning of this vast and sensitive ecosystem.
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. Credit: Christian Fischer
"Arctic regions have long been at the center of climate change research, as permafrost in northern latitudes contains 30-50% of global soil carbon.
"Higher plants catch more snow, which insulates the underlying soil and prevents it from freezing as quickly in the winter.
"An increase in higher plants could accelerate the thaw of this frozen carbon bank and lead to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions.
"We found that the height increase only occurred in a few places, that it was almost everywhere in the tundra.
"If the taller plants continue to grow at the current rate, the height of the plant community could increase by 20 to 60% by the end of the century."
Dr. Myers-Smith, of the Faculty of Geosciences at the University of Edinburgh, said: "Quantifying the link between the environment and plant characteristics is essential to understanding the consequences of the change. climate change, but this research rarely occurs in the northern hemisphere, the coldest tundra ecosystems on the planet.
"This is the first time a biome-wide study has been conducted to determine the essential role that plants play in this rapidly warming part of the planet."
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. Credit: Anne D Bjorkman
The team now has a comprehensive set of data on arctic tundra plants collected from sites in Alaska, Canada, Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia. Alpine sites in the European Alps and the Colorado Rockies have also been included in the study.
The team evaluated the relationships between temperature, soil moisture and key characteristics that represent the shape and function of the plants. Plant height and leaf area were analyzed and monitored, along with specific leaf area, leaf nitrogen content and leaf dry matter content, as well as woodland and evergreen foliage.
Surprisingly, only height increases sharply over time. The characteristics of the plants were strongly influenced by the humidity levels in addition to the temperature.
Dr. Myers-Smith said, "While most models and research on climate change have focused on increasing temperatures, our research has shown that soil moisture
"We need to better understand the soil moisture in the Arctic.Reprecations are likely to increase in the region, but this is only one factor that affects the levels of the soil." soil moisture. "
Helen Beadman, NERC's director of Polar, Climate and Weather, said, "This research is a critical step in understanding how Arctic and alpine vegetation respond to climate change.
"The growth and expansion of shrubs could have a profound impact not only on the Arctic ecosystem, but also further if that translates into an increase in greenhouse gas emissions." . "
Explore more:
Tundra study reveals impact of global warming in the Arctic
More information:
Anne D. Bjorkman et al, Functional change of plants in a tundra biome warming up, Nature (2018). DOI: 10.1038 / s41586-018-0563-7
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