Temperature sensitivity of willow dwarf shrub growth from two distinct High Arctic sites

The High Arctic region has experienced marked climate fluctuations within the past decades strongly affecting tundra shrub growth. However, the spatial variability in dwarf shrub growth responses in this remote region remains largely unknown. This study characterizes temperature sensitivity of radia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International Journal of Biometeorology
Main Authors: Buchwal, Agata, Weijers, Stef, Blok, Daan, Elberling, Bo
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Springer 2018
Subjects:
Environmental Sciences
AO/NAO index
Climate sensitivity
Greenland
Salix arctica (Pall.)
Salix polaris (Wahlenb.)
Svalbard
Arctic
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
polar desert
Salix polaris
Tundra
Online Access:https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/52327c78-aa2e-499e-8fcb-616efdf72c44
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-018-1648-6
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Summary:The High Arctic region has experienced marked climate fluctuations within the past decades strongly affecting tundra shrub growth. However, the spatial variability in dwarf shrub growth responses in this remote region remains largely unknown. This study characterizes temperature sensitivity of radial growth of two willow dwarf shrub species from two distinct High Arctic sites. The dwarf shrub Salix arctica from Northern Greenland (82°N), which has a dry continental High Arctic climate, is linked with Salix polaris from central Svalbard (78° N), which experiences a more oceanic High Arctic climate with relatively mild winters. We found similar positive and significant relationships between annual growth of both Salix dwarf shrub species and July–August air temperatures (1960–2010), despite different temperature regimes and shrub growth rates at the two sites. Also, Salix dwarf shrub growth was significantly negatively correlated with Arctic and North Atlantic Oscillation (AO/NAO) indices; S. arctica from Northern Greenland was negatively correlated with previous autumn (AO index) and current summer AO and NAO indices, and S. polaris with the summer NAO index. The results highlight the importance of both local and regional climatic drivers for dwarf willow shrub growth in harsh polar desert habitats and are a step in the direction of identifying and scaling changes in plant growth across the High Arctic.

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