Arctic aboveground tundra biomass dynamics between 1982 and 2010 ...

• Main Authors: Epstein, Howard E, Raynolds, Martha K, Walker, Donald A, Bhatt, Uma S, Tucker, Compton J, Pinzon, Jorge E
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2012
• Subjects: International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; International Polar Year; IPY; Tundra
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.809919; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.809919

Numerous studies have evaluated the dynamics of Arctic tundra vegetation throughout the past few decades, using remotely sensed proxies of vegetation, such as the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). While extremely useful, these coarse-scale satellite-derived measurements give us minimal information with regard to how these changes are being expressed on the ground, in terms of tundra structure and function. In this analysis, we used a strong regression model between NDVI and aboveground tundra phytomass, developed from extensive field-harvested measurements of vegetation biomass, to estimate the biomass dynamics of the circumpolar Arctic tundra over the period of continuous satellite records (1982-2010). We found that the southernmost tundra subzones (C-E) dominate the increases in biomass, ranging from 20 to 26%, although there was a high degree of heterogeneity across regions, floristic provinces, and vegetation types. The estimated increase in carbon of the aboveground live vegetation of 0.40 ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...