Complexity revealed in the greening of the Arctic

• Published in: Nature Climate Change
• Main Authors: MYERS-SMITH Isla H., KERBY Jeffrey T, PHOENIX Gareth K, BJERKE Jarle W, EPSTEIN Howard E., ASSMANN Jakob J., JOHN Christian, ANDREU-HAYLES Laia, ANGERS-BLONDIN Sandra, BECK Pieter, BERNER Logan, BHATT Uma S., BJORKMAN Anne D., BLOK Daan, BRYN Anders, CHRISTIANSEN Casper T., CORNELISSEN J. Hans C., CUNLIFFE Andrew M., ELMENDORF Sarah, FORBES Bruce, GOETZ Scott J., HOLLISTER Robert D., DE JONG Rogier, LORANTY Michael M., MACIAS-FAURIA Marc, MASEYK Kadmiel, NORMAND Signe, OLOFSSON Johan, PARKER Thomas C., PARMENTIER F.J.W., POST Eric, SCHAEPMAN-STRUB Gabriela, STORDAL Frode, SULLIVAN Patrick F., THOMAS Haydn J. D., TØMMERVIK Hans, TREHARNE Rachael, TWEEDIE Craig E., WALKER Donald A., WILMKING Martin, WIPF Sonja
• Language: English
• Published: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP 2020
• Subjects: Arctic; Browning; Arctic Greening; Climate change
• Online Access: https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC119675; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-019-0688-1; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-019-0688-1

As the Arctic warms, vegetation is responding, and satellite measures indicate widespread greening at high latitudes. This ‘greening of the Arctic’ is among the world’s most important large-scale ecological responses to global climate change. However, a consensus is emerging that the underlying causes and future dynamics of so-called Arctic greening and browning trends are more complex, variable and inherently scale-dependent than previously thought. Here we summarize the complexities of observing and interpreting high-latitude greening to identify priorities for future research. Incorporating satellite and proximal remote sensing with in-situ data, while accounting for uncertainties and scale issues, will advance the study of past, present and future Arctic vegetation change. JRC.D.1 - Bio-economy