Revegetation of an Airstrip and Dirt Roads in Central East Greenland

• Main Author: Fritz Hans Schwarzenbach
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1996
• Subjects: Greenland; Arctic; East Greenland
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.517.9085; http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic49-2-194.pdf

ABSTRACT. Revegetation of an airstrip and associated dirt roads on Pingo Pass, central East Greenland (71˚48'N, 24˚15'W), was studied in 1991, 34 years after their construction and abandonment. Sixty-two of the 103 species occurring on the Pass were found on the study sites. This relatively fast rate of recolonization might be partially explained by the fact that the ecological conditions of the surrounding area with windswept and rather stony terraces are similar to the dry and compressed soil on the airstrip and on the dirt roads. Therefore, the species of the dry barren grounds and of the dry heath could reach the airstrip easily and start the process of recolonization as pioneer plants. For most species, two phases of colonization can be recognised: the initial establishment of pioneer individuals followed by the establishment around them of their progeny. Key words: East Greenland, vegetation, vascular plants, revegetation, recolonization, airstrip, dirt roads RÉSUMÉ. En 1991, on a étudié la régénération de la végétation d’une piste d’atterrissage et de deux chemins de terre connexes